Designer crossover collections for sport brands had been around for quite a long time: Y-3, Stella McCartney for Addidas, Comme des Garcon x Fred Perry are all product of such collaboration. This is obviously an ingenious idea, since fashionable women all love to stay toned to look good in beautiful clothes, and what is better to motivate us to hit the gym than chic designer sport attires? These collaboration marries functionality with aesthetic perfectly and revolutionize active apparels.
After the sportif collaborations, it is now the new "IT" thing for designers to do capsule collections with lower-priced chain retailers. The highest profile ones should be the H&M collezioni by big names like Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, and Viktor & Rolf; and Proenza Schouler for Target. Less widely known new designers are also designing capsule collections: 3.1 Philip Lim for UNIQLO, Vivienne Westwood/Sofia Kokosalaki/Thakoon for Nine West Front-Row Project, just to name a few. Following these designer, the newest hype is for celebrities to design their own collections to be sold by High Street chains/ labels: Kate Moss for Top Shop, M by Madonna for H&M, and Scarlett Johanson for Reebok, for example.
(Above from top: Karl Lagerfeld for H&M, Viktor & Rolf for H&M, 3.1 Philip Lim for UNIQLO)
These capsule collections are multilaterally beneficial. It is obviously a good news for us fashionista: for those with tight budget, they could get a dose of their favorite designers' design for lower price; for those with liberal budget, these capsule pieces can still act as good staples at low cost. Another beauty of these collection is its limited supply, which serve to maintain the exclusivity and uniqueness of their designers so not to undermine their appeal to the fashion society. Although the quality is inevitably much lower than the actual designer lines, they are good enough for the mix-high-and-low looks that are increasingly popular these days.
It is also beneficial for the chains, first it heightens brand image by sheer association with top tier design talents. Second, it attracts patrons who never visit these stores. The best scenario would be that they are attracted by other merchandise in the store and become new regular customers; even if they don't, they still improve sale by attracting new clients just for the one time collections. As a result, the stores broaden their clientele base. Third, these capsule collections are certainly profitable in themselves. Premier designers' names and designers allow them to charge a premium, while the products are still manufactured with the same material and facilities. After paying the designers, there is still room for lucrative profit resulting from the high demand and high premium.
It is of course beneficial for the designers designing for these collections. First, they earn extra income from the capsule collections. Second, f0r lesser known new design talents like Thakoon and Sofia Kokosalaki, capsule collections allow them to leverage on the publicity provided by chain stores' advertisting capital to proliferate their names in the market, which could in turn translate into broadened clientele and more sales in their own lines.
(Above from top : Stella McCartney for H&M, Proenza Schouler for Target)
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