X MARKS THE SPOT – THE NEW ORDER
Tue 21 Jun
There’s a quote from Adrian Joffe, the CEO of Comme des Garçons, which I always think of when talking to someone about the concept of collaboration. And let’s be honest, as an industry we talk about collaborations a lot. Why? More about that later. Back to Joffe and his pearls of wisdom: “There’s no point to collaborate with another designer or artist unless there’s something that can be found in between,” he says. “For example, we don’t make swimwear, so we collaborated with Speedo, who [are] the best swimwear makers. So many collaborations these days are meaningless, therefore we try to find collaborators who can have an added value for both parties.”
This ethos, this way of thinking about a collaboration arguably sums up what constitutes a healthy brand partnership. A good collaboration brings out a new product or service that neither of the participating brands could have accomplished on their own. But it’s perhaps easier said than done. The rise of the collaboration is partly down to the fact that consumers today constantly want newness. They expect new releases and drops monthly, if not weekly, and these kinds of partnerships are a good way of helping to quench that thirst. Far too many brands see collaborations as a quick and easy way to create a buzz and fish for likes by whacking two logos on a T-shirt. But like with so many other things in life, it’s all about balance, it’s about putting quality over quantity.
The key, not just for collaborations but brand imagery in general, is honesty. Stay true to yourself and consumers will come to a brand and stay with them. There isn’t some magic formula for achieving perfect results. The best ones start when two brands or designers genuinely come together to create something new, and the ambition must be to further themselves using the knowledge and point of view of another creative force. As always, the consumer must benefit from the end result, or else it’s nothing more than a shallow marketing exercise. With more and more collaborations appearing on the market these days, we must ask more of what’s put out there. Small brands, big labels, or individual designers – it doesn’t matter because, as always, product is king.