The Unusual Fashion Collaborations Driving The Future Of Fashion

2023 has been chock-a-block with all kinds of weird and wonderful brand collaborations. 

From Snoop Dogg releasing his own ice-cream line with Hello.co, to Kim Kardashian pairing up with beauty giant Fendi, we have truly seen it all. 

It seems the stranger the collaboration, the more popular it is with audiences. So popular in fact, that a vast majority of major fashion brands have taken to relying on unusual fashion collaborations and product drops to boost brand awareness and revenue. 

Let’s take a look at the more out-of-pocket fashion collaborations we have seen this year. 

Lenovo x RANRA, Kit Wan, and Maium

Lenovo may be known for quality laptops and tablets, but it’s looking to make waves in the fashion industry too. 

The popular electronics brand has partnered with several rather avant garde designers to create the Lenovo Tab Wear Collection; a stylish celebration of “me time”. 

The designs, created by RANRA, Kit Wan Studios and Maium, are built around Lenovo’s products. The clothes aim to allow the user to disappear into their favourite tablet based activity no matter where they are. 

The outerwear is experimental to say the least, from massive anorak hoods meant for blocking out light and noise, to a self-described “modular techno-armour exo-skeleton,” the pieces certainly aren’t for the faint of heart. 

Given that this collection has only been available for a week, whether or not it’s been successful is yet to be seen. However, it sure has got the internet talking, with articles on the collaboration popping up left, right and centre. Thus far, it seems that whilst consumers are intrigued, they are wary of how much the move feels like a publicity stunt, rather than a genuine move to expand Lenovo’s brand.

Skims x NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball 

At this point, we are starting to lose track of all of Kim Kardashian’s unusual fashion collaborations. 

Kardashian has announced that her widely popular clothing brand, Skims, will now be the official underwear of the NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball teams. The brand intends to show up in exciting, unexpected ways at major events over the basketball season, including the NBA all star and NBS in-season tournaments.

Whilst this partnership may feel a bit out of left field – sorry, court – this is not actually the first time that Skims has joined forces with a sports team. The brand was the official underwear of the US Olympic team for the 2020 summer Olympics.

This collaboration comes hot on the heels of Skims’ now infamous nipple bra, Swarovski product drop and partnership with Fendi. 

At this rate, we are going to be seeing Skims themed food products by the end of the year. BBL ice-cream, anyone? 

Skims x Swarovski 

Continuing the Skims rampage, Kim Kardashian partnered up with Swarovski to release a line of bejewelled shapewear, bracelets, chokers and necklaces. 

The limited edition products were released on November 7th, and will be available for purchase for four weeks. 

Whilst this collaboration feels the most natural on this list, it’s the contrast between this and Skims’ other partnerships that’s taking us for a spin. Having your brand be both the official underwear supplier of the USA basketball teams, and in partnership with a quality jewellery brand, is not a feat many companies attempt, let alone achieve. 

Since its launch on the 7th, the Skims x Swarovski collection has almost completely sold out. Evidently, Kardashian knows her target audience like the back of her hand, and has once again knocked the ball out of the park. 

Christian Cowan x Teletubbies 

It’s a well-known fact that the only thing high fashion girlies really want are thigh high Teletubbies boots. 

Christian Cowan has joined forces with the beloved 90’s kids program Teletubbies to produce a line of themed clothing. While the collection features more simple items such as a pair of denim jeans with a Teletubbies print running down the leg, the show stopper is the Dipsy boots; thigh high, lime green boots that transform into Dipsy dolls at the knee. 

The internet was, obviously, a bit taken aback when Cowan announced this collaboration. Typically, the brand sticks to cutting edge, luxury fashion; not exactly the kind one would call synonymous with Teletubbies. 

Yet, we were all forced to eat our words on this one. The Christian Cowan site crashed all but immediately after the collection was made available. The unique nature of the products clearly appealed to consumers, who couldnt wait to get their hands on these  limited edition items. 

Clearly, Christian Cowan is onto something. Who knows, if other brands follow suit, maybe we will see a Peppa Pig x Chanel collaboration in the future. 

Snoop Dogg x Skechers 

Snoop Dogg’s side quests have enraptured the internet for years now, and his ongoing Skechers partnership is no different.

Over the course of 2023, Snoop Dogg has had a continuous professional relationship with Skechers. The famous rapper has released a variety of shoe lines, as well as starred in a Super Bowl ad. Snoop’s most recent collection is inspired by his NFT Bored Ape, known as Dr. Bombay. 

The collaborations have been soundly successful thus far, with consumers responding positively to the social media marketing that Skechers has continued to release in order to advertise the products. As predicted, users love the randomness of the partnership, and can’t wait to see what Snoop dabbles in next. 

Are unusual fashion collaborations the future of fashion?

All in all, unusual fashion collaborations continue to prove themselves a highly successful marketing tactic. 

Product drops and brand partnerships allow fashion companies to tap into consumer bases that they may have previously not had access to. For example, Skims would not typically be on the radar of your average basketball watcher, but its partnership with the NBA gives it access to this new audience. 

In fact, the stranger the partnership, the more impactful it will be on consumers; especially if accompanied by punchy, trendy social media content, which these unusual fashion collaborations lend themselves to very easily. 

Unusual fashion collaborations are easily translated into social media campaigns, as they incite sharing and conversation. Through social media platforms, brands are able to show off their partnerships to an even more diverse audience than they would reach organically. 

Beyond this, social media can be used to highlight specific aspects of unusual fashion collaborations. For example, TikTok is the best option for brands seeking to show off how to style their products, whereas Instagram is more suited for those perfect, aesthetic shots.

In this manner, brand partnerships are an incredibly efficient way to increase audience reach and expand your consumer base. 

Unusual fashion collaborations do more than simply draw new eyes to your brand; they allow you to reshape how audiences perceive you. Take Lenovo for example. Through its collaboration, the company has rebranded itself as more than simply an electronics brand. It has well and truly gone beyond the consumer’s expectations, and established itself as a brand with its finger on the pulse of fashion pop-culture. 

As such, rebranding through unusual fashion collaborations is beneficial to brand image and awareness.  

The sheer number of unusual fashion collaborations we have seen this year makes one wonder what the future holds for fashion as a whole. It seems that the fashion industry is prepared to cater to modern consumers, who value originality and creativity over simple aesthetics. Audiences desire innovation, and these kinds of unusual fashion collaborations are able to provide this.

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