Popular Brand Collaborations

In September, Adidas unveiled its new line collection Adidas x 007 by celebrating the 25th Bond Film, No Time to Die.

Reya Mehrotra

Be it any time of the year, some brands that have established their niche in the market are always in. But when they collaborate with another major brand or public figure, the excitement levels get higher and fans rush to get their hands on them. Recently, several high-profile brand collaborations made the headlines for the right and wrong reasons. Here, we bring you some of those offerings.

Adidas X James Bond

In September, Adidas unveiled its new line collection Adidas x 007 by celebrating the 25th Bond Film, No Time to Die. The partnership saw the icon of modern cinema collide with the contemporary footwear brand to celebrate the film with adidas UltraBOOST styles inspired by the world of 007. The line’s Adidas Ultraboost DNA White Tuxedo led the collection. It is a modernised style with a plain white base with a James Bond motif on the tongue and finished with the iconic 007 insignia.

Sabyasachi X H&M

The ollection was launched in August this year and made headlines as soon as it was announced. It was sold out only in a few days even though some criticised the collection for being overtly simple and ordinary and highly priced. The collection mixed modern and traditional silhouettes with a nod towards athleisure and glamping. Indian textile and print traditions by the Sabyasachi Art Foundation, embroidery and multicultural silhouettes were the highlights of the collection. Their saree, which was H&M’s first, was priced at Rs 9,999. The limited-edition collection also offered accessories, jewelry, footwear, sunglasses, and ready-to-wear glamorous loungewear.

PUMA X RCB

Recently, Puma announced its partnership with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to launch athleisure range. Drawing inspiration from street art and urban graffiti, the range has quirky graphics and bold colours. The collection dropped before the T20 season and comprises apparel for men and women, including T-shirts, hoodies and trackpants. The collection represents “high paced lifestyle which carries comfortable ensemble to everywhere for a very on the go easy breezy day”.

LG X Prada

LG had partnered with the Italian fashion giant Prada to create a premium smartphone with a good design and the Prada phone by LG, turned our to be unique and representation of cutting-edge technology meeting high fashion. In fact, the phone, equipped with Korean technology and Italian design, sold more than 1 million units, establishing that designer phones have a market. However, the line did not survive for long as the last Prada smartphone came out in 2012. It has since then been a part of the New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai, China.

Dior X Nike

It was a feast for sneakerheads as in 2019, Dior and Nike unveiled their collaboration Air Jordan 1 High OG Dior limited-edition sneaker during Dior’s pre-fall 2020 show in Miami. It was designed by creative director Kim Jones and was Nike’s first step into the luzxury streetwear market. After getting postponed due to the pandemic, the line was launched in June last year through a microsite where customers could purchase. According to Christian Dior Couture’s president and chief executive officer, Pietro Beccari, five million people reistered on the microsite upon its launch. With 5,000 pairs for Dior’s top clients, the brand produced 13,000 pairs of the sneakers. The sneakers ranged from $2,000 to $2,200.

Crocs X Justin Bieber

As a part of his fashion brand Drew House, singer Justin Bieber teamed with Crocs for a limited-edition Classic Clog. The footwear was designed in Drew House’s signature yellow hue with eight custom Crocs’ charms, including the Drew House smiley face logo, rainbows, daisies and pizza slices. Bieber admitted that he wore crocs all the time and hence designing his own pair was a natural process. “With these Crocs, I just focused on making something cool that I want to wear,” he said. The collection was received well and a second classic Clog collection was launched this year.

Louis Vuitton X NBA

In 2020, Louis Vuitton collaborated with NBA for a limited clothing and accessories line uniting the emblems of the two institutions. The designer’s codes and the iconography of the basketball universe came together in the collection designed by the design house’s menswear creative director, Virgil Abloh. It included shoes, bags, ready-to-wear and jewelry featuring the NBA logo reimagined as a houndstooth motif. This year, LV launched a second edition of its collaboration.