Innovative Designer Collaborations That Redefined Fashion

Fashion houses like Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, and many other luxury brands have always been known for their quality, brands, and logos. There was a time when they all relied on word of mouth or brand reputation and the idea of working with anyone outside of their organization was unheard of. Even with the first collaboration between Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dalí in the 1930s, it still wasn't a practice widely adopted. Until more recently when it seemed as though every fashion house began to work with artists to produce innovative designer collaborations that redefined fashion.

Whether a way to stand out from competitors, a strategy for reaching new customers and markets, or a way to generate more publicity, fashion brands have increasingly sought diverse and unexpected collaborations to give their clothing lines the added boost. In the early 2000s with Karl Lagerfeld's then-unheard-of partnership with H&M, fashion collaborations became increasingly en-vogue, resulting in a diverse array of design partnerships. While some fail to hit the mark, others redefined fashion.

To compile a list of innovative designer collaborations that redefined fashion, 24/7 Tempo consulted a range of lifestyle, fashion, and art publications including Vogue Magazine, Fashion Innovation, and Artland Magazine. Next, we selected designer collaborations that marked a profound shift in fashion styles, approaches, and strategies. After that, we confirmed aspects of the collaborations using sites like The Dali and Rebag.org. (For other great style partnerships, discover 12 of the best fashion designer collaborations.)

One of the innovative designer collaborations that redefined fashion was the World Food Programme and Balenciaga collaboration during the Fall 2018 runway season. The term "woke" had entered the mainstream a few years previous, and in response, many designers churned out various items emblazoned with feminist slogans or statements about climate change.

However, it seemed more like lip service as these creeds did little to affect monetary change. Designer Demna Gvasalia (pictured) changed everything with his World Food Programme infusion for the Balenciaga line. Though he took a similar approach, donning Balenciaga gear with the World Food Programme logo, he switched it up by actually making a difference.

That's because the proceeds from these clothing sales went towards the United Nations program to end world hunger. Furthermore, Balenciaga simultaneously pledged a $250,000 no-questions-asked donation to the World Food Programme.

As high fashion expanded its horizons, it started featuring more inclusion for bodies of different sizes. Size-inclusive brand Universal Standard, founded by Alexandra Waldman and Polina Veksler, features a range of minimal, everyday items for sizes ranging in sizes 00 to 40. When fashion house Rodarte teamed up with Universal Standard, it marked the first occasion a high-fashion house collaborated with a plus-size brand.

Introduced to the masses in 2019, the Rodarte x Universal Standard collection featured flowy, mellifluous accents added to everyday clothing items, infusing a bit of haute couture into Universal Standard's jumpsuits, skirts, and blouses. Regarding the collaboration, Waldman and Veksler said they "wanted to get people involved who were not part of the diversity movement per se, but who we felt might be interested in raising their hand and saying, 'This is great, and this is the right thing to do.'"

Another one of the innovative designer collaborations that redefined fashion was the reintroduction of the classic Moncler jacket. When famed designer Remo Ruffini relaunched his beloved puffy down jacket brand Moncler, he rebranded it as the Genius Group. Hoping to bring different vibes to his jacket line and anticipate the evolved habits of fashion consumers, he joined forces with various designers.

This group featured the likes of Pierpaolo Piccoli, Craig Green, and Simone Rocha, to name a few. This resulted in a monthly drop of new Moncler jackets that reflected diverse style choices from outside of Ruffini's wheelhouse. Not only did it infuse the brand with a high-design edge and a variety of unexpected yet refreshing innovations, but it also ensured that customers would be ever-reminded of the new Moncler designs after they saw release every month.

Another one of the innovative designer collaborations that redefined fashion was the Serena Williams x Off-White x Nike collaboration from 2018. The year before, French Open officials banned catsuits after tennis professional Serena Williams donned one during her matches. Not one to back down easily, Williams defied the ban in 2018 when she wore two custom tutus, one in black and the other in lavender.

Designed by the now-deceased designer Virgil Abloh for his Off-White brand and in collaboration with Nike, the dance-inspired choices were controversial yet sensational. Not only did the custom tutus solidify Williams' fashion style, but it also served as a tasteful response to the French Open's attempts to curtail women's fashion choices and preferences.

Another one of the innovative designer collaborations that redefined fashion was the Cardi B x Fashion Nova collaboration. 2018 was a big year for rapper Cardi B. She shot to worldwide fame seemingly overnight, both for her music and her explosive fashion choices. As such, every big designer hoped to get her rocking some of their collections.

While big names like Tom Ford and Donatella Versace invited her to sit front row at their fashion shows, Cardi B went a different route. Instead of pairing with an inaccessible haute couture brand, Cardi B chose to work with the fast-fashion brand Fashion Nova. Not only did Cardi B wear much of the brand's clothing on her meteoric rise to fame, it illustrated her desire to give fans the type of clothing they could afford.

It proved to be a smart move, as Cardi B's two capsule collections for Fashion Nova sold out, with the first making almost $1 million in 24 hours.

Another one of the innovative designer collaborations that redefined fashion was the Beyoncé x Balmain collaboration in 2018. That year, Beyoncé played a revolutionizing set at Coachella. Not only did it mark the first time a woman of color headlined the festival, but her set featured 200 dancers and musicians with a theme of recognizing historically Black colleges around the United States.

To mark the occasion, Beyoncé joined forces with a man of color, Balmain's creative director Olivier Rousteing. To create her custom wardrobe, Rousteing worked face-to-face with Beyoncé to create the set's marching band-inspired clothing. He didn't just send designs over email from across the ocean either, as he sat right on the rehearsal floor cutting fabric and adapting clothing to Beyoncé's preferences.

While it resulted in a stunning and vibrant wardrobe, it also served as a testament to inclusion and the symbolic impact of clothing choices.

Mid-level fast-fashion brand H&M turned heads after it began a series of collaborations with high-fashion designers in the early aughts. The success of its first collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld led to other partnerships such as the one with Stella McCartney in 2005 and Madonna in 2007. The other H&M collaborations with the likes of Alexander Wang and Maison Margiela introduced some interesting ideas.

However, H&M truly turned heads when it teamed up with Versace in 2011. Not only did it provide a quick infusion of cash for both brands, but the Versace x H&M collaboration brought previously inaccessible high fashion to the masses. This introduced a collection of H&M-level cost clothing with the artistic flair of Versace, resulting in a clothing line that was vivid, evocative, and elegant.

While the collaboration proved quite successful, as it sold out almost immediately, it also reinforced the complaints regarding fast-fashion houses' destructive production strategies.

Sometimes high fashion takes the path less traveled and it makes all the difference. Take the young upstart designer, Heron Preston, for example. In 2016, he somehow persuaded the fashion gods to partner with New York City's Department of Sanitation. Designed using entirely upcycled fabric, the collaboration sought to raise awareness for the Department's 0x30 goal, which aims to send zero waste to landfills by 2030.

Not only did the Heron Preston x DSNY collaboration result in unique items with high-vis punctuations, but it also helped redefine the game. Nowadays, the once-obscure notion of upcycled clothing has entered the mainstream. Furthermore, the collaboration marked a fashion industry shift towards sustainable designs that promote environmental awareness.

Another one of the innovative designer collaborations that redefined fashion was the massive collaboration between 17 different brands in Spring 2017. Balenciaga designer Demna Gvasalia (pictured with model Alek Wek) chose a radical path that year, collaborating with a diverse collection of companies to create an entire collection of collaborations. Some of these partnerships included Juicy Couture, Levi's, Champion, Eastpack, Canada Goose, Manolo Blahnik, and Dr. Martens.

While no one had ever embarked on such a diverse array of collaborations before, the move proved successful. It broke the barrier between high and low fashion choices, inspiring countless fashion brands to partner and create fun, accessible, and surprising clothing styles. Gvasalia's tight red velour tracksuit emblazoned with the Juicy Couture logo down both arms serves as a testament to the radical yet effective fashion partnerships from the collection.

Another one of the innovative designer collaborations that redefined fashion was the Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami collaboration from the 2003 Spring/Summer collection. During Marc Jacob's 16-year-long reign as Louis Vuitton's creative director, he transformed the brand into a powerhouse by courting controversy and shifting focus toward youth consumption. One such strategy was joining forces with artist Takashi Murakami (pictured).

The pair did the unthinkable: changing the Louis Vuitton logo. This resulted in a series of white Louis Vuitton bags featuring multicolored LV logos. Thanks to exposure from big names like Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson, the radical departure in style proved incredibly successful. This led to a series of collaborations between Louis Vuitton and Murakami, in what Jacobs once called "a monumental marriage of art and commerce."

When Crocs shoes first hit the market in the mid to late aughts, they sowed as much money as they did controversy. Though comfy, lightweight, and accessible, Crocs became a target of many jokes and ridicule. In response, designer Christopher Kane did the unthinkable and partnered with the foam shoe company, resulting in a surprising, delightful collaboration combining the highest fashion and the lowest shoewear.

Introduced during the Spring 2017 runway season, the Christopher Kane partnership featured Crocs emblazoned with large rocks, crystals, and eye-popping colorways akin to the texture of marble. Taking the tacky approach proved successful, as it revolutionized the high-low fashion concept and inspired fashion house Balenciaga to make platform Crocs the following year (which sold out within hours of release).

Another one of the innovative designer collaborations that redefined fashion was the Supreme x Louis Vuitton Fall 2017 Menswear collaboration. Supreme originally started as a skateboard apparel company in the '90s. Thanks to certain key celebrities and media exposure, however, it grew into one of the hottest names in fashion. It elevated its status after partnering with Louis Vuitton in 2017.

As for the partnership inspiration, Louis Vuitton's Menswear Creative Director Luke Leitch hoped to catalyze customer excitement in a "world where everyone wants the new, new, new." The approach proved massively successful and served as a symbol of the times: luxury derived from well-known logos and exclusivity.

For years, Kanye West has charmed and alienated audiences alike. For better or worse, his controversial approach to all things art has brought a legion of fans and just as many detractors. When he entered the fashion world in the late aughts, many people didn't know what to expect. After he partnered with Adidas in 2015, he released his Yeezy line during the Fall 2015 season.

While the seemingly Dune-inspired collection of earth/dirt tones on loose-fitting shawls received mixed reviews, he did score kudos for using an unconventional roster of models. It also helped West grow the Yeezy brand into a billion-dollar business. Ultimately, West's foray into the world of haute couture marked a shift towards the era of celebrity designers.

Case in point: Rihanna's celebrated Fenty partnership with LVMH. (For styles that designers can't stand, discover 13 fashion trends iconic designers bashed and hated.)

When Apple released the first iPhone in the mid-aughts, it sparked a revolution in consumer technology and worldwide connectivity. Though impressed, many wondered how the company could follow up on the product and still make considerable waves. Then, Apple released the Apple Watch in 2015.

This changed the way people could send emails, make phone calls, and get online. It also started a conversation around wearable technology and the fashion strategies that could evolve from its innovation. In response, acclaimed high fashion brand Hermès entered the chat. After partnering with Apple, Hermès introduced a line of leather watch bands featuring a variety of bright, rich colors.

This catalyzed the wearable technology era, with many other big brands following suit by introducing their own versions of the Apple Watch band, including Coach and Fendi. While the wearable watch fashion trend seemed to wane over the following years, it awakened an era in fashion. The simple watch band craze sparked a shift in perspective of the fashion gods from simply clothes to a digitally-focused approach to design, marketing, and fashion.

Before World War II, numerous names highlighted the ever-shifting innovations in art and design. One such name was Elsa Schiaparelli, a fashion designer who was the first person to design a jumpsuit that wasn't workwear. Another name was Salvador Dalí, the famed Spanish painter best known for his otherworldly, surreal landscapes and vivid explorations of internal space. While both Schiaparelli and Dalí broke barriers through their unconventional approaches to art, they bonded over their shared love of classicism.

While the world, especially Europe, began falling to pieces at the outset of World War II, Schiaparelli and Dalí joined forces to create a stunning line of clothing and art. Enchanting audiences and acting as unique potents of the coming conflict, the pair's designs featured radical symbology and a sense of escapism.

Furthermore, their collaborative designs sought to escape from the world while simultaneously reflecting it. Not only did their collaboration help both of them evolve as artists, but it also marked a future strategy of partnerships between artists and fashion designers.

Another one of the innovative designer collaborations that redefined fashion was the Sterling Ruby x Raf Simons Menswear collaboration during the Fall of 2014. While many design collaborations appear as no more than slapping one designer label on another's clothing and selling them for thousands, high-fashion designer Raf Simons took a different approach. To do so, he tapped acclaimed artist and long-time friend Sterling Ruby, best known for his evocative, mysterious abstract expressionist paintings and sculptures featuring earthy, yet vibrant color schemes.

Unlike many partnerships, the collaboration truly wed the fashion cuts of Simons and the drippy, yet cohesive paint strokes of Ruby. This resulted in stunning wardrobes that retained elements of both names. With its splotches of paint adorning the length of the wardrobes, it created a new style entirely on its own yet familiar enough to connect with audiences. Released as a singular entity, the collection's labels reflected this effortless melding. Instead of featuring the usual Raf Simons label, the logos on the collection read "RSSR" (Raf Simons, Sterling Ruby).

Another one of the innovative designer collaborations that redefined fashion was the collaboration between designer Longchamp and British-born artist Tracey Emin in 2004. To coincide with its 10th anniversary, Longchamp partnered with Emin to create a line of handbags featuring some of the artist's signature techniques. This took the form of paint streaks, destroyed and reassembled textiles and fabrics, as well as other patchwork designs.

The collaboration marked another occasion of a fashion brand teaming up with a famous artist to explore the limits of style. Not everyone was impressed, however. Some critics even took to calling the Longchamp x Tracey Emin designs "monster bags" due to their strange, hectic patchwork of paint, textiles, and embroidery. Nevertheless, others saw the bags rightfully as courageous experiments in the realms of asymmetry, aesthetic dissonance, and controlled chaos.

For Emin's part, she linked the strange yet alluring handbag designs with a love story, one in which a woman could travel from one city to another via the diverse bags in search of romance. (For other approaches that didn't stand the test of time, discover outdated and slightly weird fashion trends.)