Iconic Fashion Collaborations That Shaped the Industry year, brands ranging from Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga to Nike and H&M released a slew of high-fashion mashups that have had us lining up for days (and even staking out tents) to score that limited edition run of the coveted collection. And while many of these mashups were undeniably stylish, their popularity was also fueled by an unprecedented amount of hype and celebrity endorsement—and a desire to be seen in the most exclusive merchandise on the planet.

Iconic Fashion Collaborations That Shaped the Industry

While the intersection of art and fashion has a long history—Elsa Schiaparelli’s ‘art-fashion’ collaborations with Salvador Dali in the 1930s and Vivienne Westwood’s edgy skateboarding designs for artist Keith Haring in the ’80s—it took someone like Virgil Abloh to popularize the concept. Through his multi-hyphenate persona and his own brand, Off-White, the designer has been able to create highly coveted collections that blur the lines between luxury and streetwear.

But a fashion collaboration can sometimes feel like the collision of two astronomical budgets. While this can result in highly editorial pieces, it can also lead to inflated pricing and unwieldy supply chains. In this way, these partnerships can be more harmful than helpful. For example, the infamous Marc Jacobs x Disney collaboration of 2017—which included everything from sequined mini dresses to silk trucker jackets—was so engorged with over-the-top details that it left consumers feeling deflated and manipulated. And the fact that so much of it ended up on reseller websites only exacerbated this feeling of overstimulation.

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