I love a good collaboration.
It’s hard sometimes when you’re transitioning between brands or want to buy just one item, and when in doubt, collaborations are the perfect compromise. The biggest brands this year have promoted collaborations. One of the biggest collaborations in the luxury market is Jacquemus x Nike, which shut down the Jacquemus site and created problems with warehouse and shipping, and since August 25, Levi’s x GUIZIO.
Collaborations also tend to be more economical, especially when it comes to luxury brands working with “regular” clothing brands. For example, with Fendi x SKIMS, although $120 for a bodysuit seems arbitrary when you consider Fendi’s luxury prices and the fact that SKIMS bodysuits often retail for $60, for a collaboration, it’s a fantastic deal.
However, there are other brands that use this opportunity to raise their prices to match the status of the wealthiest partner.
This is not news – we are all aware of this when we browse the social networks of brands. So why am I bringing this up?
Because Business of Fashion reported that major clothing companies such as Walmart, Target, Victoria’s Secret, Urban Outfitters and Kohl’s had to offer deep discounts due to a cutback in spending by their customers.
Part of this comes from consumers’ preference for deals and their willingness to pay for items. Whether that means they’re going into stores with a budget in mind or deciding between options, personally, if I’m not in love with one item over another, I’ll often choose the cheapest and most economical option. And, almost everyone would rather spend $50 on three items than one.
At the same time, what I’ve noticed is a change in what people in my demographic are wearing. While brands like UO and VS were the world’s leading companies during my teenage years, as I’ve grown up, I’ve drifted away. My age group is getting older and as a result, companies that have passed their prime are losing us to professional wear and capsule wardrobes.
It’s not just because we’ve all discovered Pinterest, Aritzia and Matilda Djerf; we’re just entering adulthood and into the professional world, and in many traditional business settings, we can’t don tank tops and parachute pants to give a presentation on quarterly sales reports or cyber security breaches. And, faced with starting to pay our first month’s rent, figuring out taxes, and our first call to AAA, I too would prefer to build a capsule collection that I can mix and match to save money for the terrifying unknowns of the future.
However, Margiela has created a new pair of shoes with Reebok, DIOR from BIRKENSTOCK has released a $1,100 pair, and Adidas just gave us a preview of its collection with Thebe Magugu.
So do we occasionally “treat ourselves” to a co-op of our dreams as a way to be cost efficient? Or should we turn our backs once and for all on our young days of begging our parents for expensive necklaces and skirts?
With spending pulling back, could this be an attempt by top luxury brands to reassert their status? Or is their slow transition to more affordable prices in an effort to win more customers amid the onset of the global economic downturn?
What does this mean for our newly reborn trend cycle? And how does this affect the role of influencers whose job it is to stay “on trend?”
I don’t have the answers; I’m just a 19-year-old with a passion for fashion. But maybe you do! Take this, digest it and leave it to me
I know what you think.
Hadyn Phillips is a sophomore who writes about fashion in the 21st century, specifically focusing on emerging trends and popular controversies. Her column, “That’s Fashion, Darling,” usually appears every Monday.
