From Victoria Beckham’s polished take on Gap classics to a Royal Oak-inspired Swatch that caused crowds to spill into the streets of Dubai, fashion’s appetite for unlikely partnerships shows little sign of abating.
The appeal is simple – collaborations offer a way to borrow a little of another brand’s cultural currency, while giving customers the thrill of something that will not be around forever.
Elie Saab x H&M
The most anticipated collaboration of the autumn is undoubtedly Elie Saab x H&M.
Announced this month, the Lebanese couturier’s first partnership with the Swedish high-street giant will bring his particular brand of red-carpet glamour to womenswear, menswear, accessories and shoes.
Launching on October 22, the 55-piece collection will be available in selected H&M stores in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Egypt, as well as online. Prices begin at about Dh130 ($35) and the most elaborate pieces will reach Dh1,700. Expect sequins, lace, emerald green, black and gold, and, inevitably, a fast-moving checkout.
Victoria Beckham x Gap
If Elie Saab is bringing evening glamour to the high street, Victoria Beckham x Gap takes the opposite route – the everyday wardrobe but refined.
Launched in April as the first instalment of a multi-season partnership, Beckham reworked Gap staples from its late-1980s and early-1990s archive, including denim, trenches, khakis, T-shirts and fleeces.
The collection's appeal lies in its restraint, seen in precisely cut silhouettes and subtle red VB stitching rather than overt branding. Prices range from Dh125 for a T-shirt to Dh1,200 for the more substantial pieces, making this one of the year's more accessible designer collaborations.
Swatch x Audemars Piguet
Few collaborations this year have demonstrated the power of scarcity quite like Swatch x Audemars Piguet. The Royal Pop collection, which reinterpreted the language of Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak in colourful Swatch form, generated extraordinary demand when it was unveiled in May.
In Dubai, the excitement became something of a spectacle when large crowds gathered at Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates before the launch. It forced the cancellation of the sales events on safety grounds. The watches were subsequently removed from sale, making the event a useful reminder that, in the age of social media, the most effective luxury marketing tool may simply be the possibility that you cannot get something.
Stella McCartney x H&M
In May, sustainable designer Stella McCartney created another collection with H&M, 21 years after the first. Made using recycled and certified materials, pieces were created from regenerative organic cotton, industrial corn and recycled metals.
It featured McCartney's signature roomy tailoring, oversized trench coats, cropped bomber jackets, crystal-embellished bodysuits and her famous Rock Royalty T-shirt.
Prada x Gentle Monster
Prada x Gentle Monster brought together Milanese fashion and Seoul's experimental eyewear culture. Launched in July following teasers at Paris Fashion Week, the limited-edition sunglasses use a subtly altered, flipped Prada logo and deliberately sculptural shapes.
The collection was accompanied by a campaign starring Japanese actor and Prada ambassador Kentaro Sakaguchi, built around the five forces of earth, air, fire, water and love. Availability was kept deliberately narrow, offered only through pop-ups in Japan, South Korea and China.
JW Anderson x Guinness
Perhaps the year's most playful high-fashion collaboration has been JW Anderson x Guinness, which turned the visual language of the Irish brand into fashion. The 17-piece collection, launched in March, included Irish wool knitwear, embroidered pieces and a now-famous jumper inspired by pub carpet.
Prices ranged from around Dh995 for a T-shirt to Dh6,427 for the statement carpet-textured jumper. Quintessential Anderson, it took something familiar and culturally specific and made it desirable.
Zendaya x On
The partnership between Zendaya and sportswear company On continues the fashion industry's fascination with the meeting of celebrity and technical sportswear.
The actress and brand ambassador's collections have given On's performance-driven aesthetic a more fashion-conscious edge, with the Cloudnova and Cloudzone silhouettes among the highlights.
Prices for the sneakers range from Dh660 to Dh735.
Bad Bunny x adidas
Continuing the tie-up that began in 2021, Bad Bunny released the adidas BadBo 1.0 in February, the first adidas shoe he designed from the ground up. Debuted in white during his Super Bowl LX halftime performance on February 8, the singer then released it globally in a beige and black combination on March 28.
To coincide with the Fifa World Cup final in July this year, he released the F50 Ghost Sprint, a football-inspired hybrid shoe, on July 18.
On October 1, he will release the Gazelle Indoor “Solar Gold”, followed by a hiking hybrid shoe called the Superteam Cavehiker, which was already previewed in Puerto Rico.
The collaborations still to come
The year promises more noteworthy tie-ups. Cecilie Bahnsen x ASICS is due to arrive on September 12, bringing the Danish designer's romantic vocabulary, such as her signature floral details, to the GEL-KINETIC FR silhouette.
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