For 20 years, global brands and retailers have been churning out high-low collaborations, capitalizing on the cultural cachet of luxury names and disruptive fashion newcomers. These diffused, more affordable capsule collections have largely been pitched as a way to democratize fashion, bringing otherwise unattainable products to the everyday consumer. But a flurry of recent releases go one step further, tapping into brands that have built their reputations on sustainability.
“It’s a credibility swap between the two stakeholders,” says Shivam Gusain, lifecycle analyst and founder of consultancy Decypher. That comes with inherent risks and benefits.
For larger brands that struggle to communicate their sustainability efforts in a way that feels authentic, aligning with born-good brands is a savvy way to signal positive intentions, but it can also highlight the gap between their main lines and the ideal of sustainability. For the collaborator, partnering with more established brands is an opportunity to scale their sustainability credidentials with resources, expertise, and volumes that are otherwise hard to reach. But reactions to the recent crop of collaborations seems to be mixed, with some drawing criticism while others praise. There is an inherent reputational risk — which can be tricky to weigh up — for sustainable brands aligning themselves with the mass market and potentially alienating their core consumer.
Danish designer Cecilie Bahnsen’s new collection with Uniqlo, launched today, makes her work more accessible: the independent brand’s pieces are often priced over $1,300; the Uniqlo collection ranges between $25-50. While some are celebrating this as a win for democratized fashion, others have called it out as a cash grab. H&M and Stella McCartney’s collection, meanwhile, has received both fanfare and greenwashing accusations. (Uniqlo said in response that “the collaboration was developed on a shared commitment to craftsmanship and elevated design,” while H&M said that the Stella McCartney collection “prioritizes certified, recycled, and innovative materials”, in line with its long-term sustainability strategy.) When British Nigerian designer Tolu Coker released a capsule collection with high street phoenix Topshop in early March, however, it was enthusiastically received by customers of both brands.
So, how does a brand built on craft, upcycling, responsible materials, or ethical manufacturing successfully manoeuvre an association with a mass-market brand while keeping its reputation intact?
Choosing the right fit
How well a collaboration goes down with consumers starts with how much the brands make sense as one. A pure fashion collaboration can lean into the novelty of appearing entiely left field (think Christopher Kane x Crocs, or Vetements x DHL Express), but when sustainability and ethics are involved, an alignment in values is necessary for the collaboration to read as authentic.
“We do a check on [a potential collaborator’s] ethics,” says Saeed Al-Rubeyi, co-founder of London-based brand Story Mfg, which has collaborated with major brands including Reebok, Crocs, and Asics. The husband and wife-run brand operates according to a positive product manifesto, which includes actions such as keeping artisanal practices alive, never using animal products, building clothing that lasts, and being anti-racist. “We care about it and our customers care about it. We try to head off any [ethical] issues straight away. It’s probably the number one collaboration killer.”
