Items that you don’t expect to get the high-fashion treatment.
It seems that some of fashion’s biggest creatives don’t see why that should be the case at all! These days, near enough anything, can be given a luxury makeover in collaboration with a designer brand.
There are also occasions wherein designers will switch out their signature prints in favour of some exciting new patterns, courtesy of a collaboration with another iconic brand. It goes without saying that these items are often limited edition, so we’re never surprised when they fly off the shelves!
Of course, some designer collaboration announcements could leave you scratching your head and wondering what they were thinking – only for the final product to turn out far better than you might expect.
Here are just a few designer collabs that nobody expected to work quite so well…
Peanuts x Marc Jacobs
Snoopy has been around for a long time – for over 70 years, in fact. As you can imagine, this iconic cartoon character has appeared on his fair share of merchandise over the years. However, in 2019, Snoopy was given a designer makeover as Marc Jacobs launched a sweet new collection featuring characters from the Peanuts comics.
The line included a wide range of clothing and accessories using images from vintage comics, somehow steering away from looking all childish and instead looking both playful and cool. Needless to say, items from this collection are still in high demand.
Dolce & Gabbana x Smeg
Smeg is, in their own right, a respected high-end company, with their vintage kitchenware adding a premium touch to any home. However, their designs are most recognisable for their simplicity, often unpatterned and block-coloured.
This all changed with a collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana, which saw Smeg products adopt a vibrant series of D&G motifs for the Sicily Is My Love collection. The collection featured toasters, blenders, coffee machines, juicers and kettles, all in the same bright, Italian-inspired design.
LEGO x Levi’s
Here’s one for the big kid in all of us! Levi’s collaborated with iconic toy brand LEGO back in 2020 in order to release a collection of pieces featuring working LEGO patches.
This fun new twist on wearable art certainly captured the imagination of many, allowing owners of the pieces to create, customise and change up their motifs whenever and however they liked.
Gucci x Disney
Mickey and friends are featured throughout this collaboration, which saw the iconic characters appear on a range of clothing, shoes and accessories against the backdrop of Gucci’s signature patterns.
Considering the popularity of both Gucci and Disney, this was a highly-anticipated collaboration and one which many absolutely loved. Given that the Disney magic is enjoyed well into adulthood by so many, we can’t say that we were too surprised!
IKEA x Off-White
This collaboration may sound odd on paper, but it came together brilliantly.
Back in 2019, IKEA announced a collaboration with Off-White and Louis Vuitton creative Virgil Abdoh, releasing a series of 15 bold and playful homeware items, including artwork, rugs, clocks and even a day-bed and decorative cabinet.
Each one showcased the design trademarks of both brands and was effortlessly cool – this is certainly one collection that we’d love to see make a return in the future!
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