Designer collaborations are no new thing. It seems like we hear about a new one at least every other week. And it’s no longer just H&M and Target having these anticipated launches. Although there’s a ton of other brands / stores / designers working together to make something different (and almost always, limited edition…my favorite) there’s one category that seems to be blowing up as of late — and that would be the Sporty Spice category. And I don’t mean Mel C…
Athleisure has been happening for the last year or so, but that’s mostly designers we see on the runway making sporty-looking clothes that you should never work out in because they cost at least two month’s rent. So now sort of the opposite has been happening and your popular athletic brands like Nike and Adidas are teaming up with designers to make something perhaps a little more expensive than their typical work out gear but a hell of a lot cheaper than what that designer typically produces. Adidas x Stella McCartney is probably the longest standing partnership I can think of. Jeremy Scott x Adidas, as well as Puma x McQ have also been around for a while. I just find it interesting that luxury designers are making $1k sneakers and at the same time, Nike teams up with Riccardo Tisci and Raf Simons collaborates with Adidas (also interesting that those are designers and not brands) to elevate their fashion credibility. Chanel wants to be like Nike, Nike wants to be like Chanel (not literally but you get the picture) and because we all apparently want to dress sportier now, things like this are happening…
NikeLab x JFS (Johanna F. Schneider) launched just last week and luckily I got to check it out in person (it’s not available at Nike Chicago but it is currently available online). It’s really cool that all of the pieces are 100% functional (based on material, movability, etc.) yet you would never look at these and think they’re from an athletic brand. Another move where the collaboration’s with a designer (she designs for Berlin label, ACRONYM) and not a brand itself.
I went a little crazy when it came to Mary Katrantzou x Adidas (as I bought two jackets and a pair of sneakers the day it went on sale). I especially enjoy the collaborations that do both clothing and footwear (as most of these are just sneakers) and this was a super cohesive collection that perfectly meshed both worlds of Mary and Adidas (and it’s not all totally sold out just yet!)
One collaboration that did sell out almost immediately (except for those damn sneaker boots) was Riccardo Tisci x Nike. I admit, I caved with this too (clearly I’m a sucker for these types of collabs). This was a really small collection of just a few unisex styles, but clearly Riccardo gave the people what they wanted considering some of these sneakers are going for almost twice as much as retail price on eBay right now.
One collection I only very recently discovered was the Kate Spade Saturday collection for New Balance. The florals and the stripes are quintessential Kate Spade so if your preppy self wants to channel your inner Sporty Spice then this is your chance!
Reebok wants you to know they’re no longer just your grandmother’s walking shoes…by teaming up with Sandro for both a mens and women’s capsule collection of super funky sneakers. I was actually surprised to see something like this from Sandro, as their aesthetic isn’t as “out there” as these sneakers, but it definitely ups Reebok’s street cred. Don’t you think?
Raf Simons created a collection of Adidas’s signature shoe, the Stan Smith. Although I’d never think to wear a baby blue or light pink sneaker, I’m actually sort of into it (especially with an all white outfit for spring). But with a $455 price tag, you have to really be a sneaker / Raf Simons fan to commit to this one.
Perhaps my favorite of all of these, which is brand spanking new (not even out yet!) is the Nike / Sacai collaboration. The pieces are so Sacai, yet they have those practical materials Nike does so well. Sacai is also very “fashiony” so I think it’s really smart appealing to a wider audience by teaming up with Nike. Plus I’m going to need this entire outfit…which I guess I’ll have to wait until March 19 to get my hands on.
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So what do you think of all these sporty collaborations? Do you like this direction fashion is moving in? Do you actually think it will last? Are you more into the high-end designers making athletic-looking styles or do you prefer the brands who do it best (Nike, Adidas, etc.) collaborating with these designers? If you’re down, here’s a few of my favorite pieces from these collaborations you can buy RIGHT NOW…
Oh, and #TBT
Images via Pinterest & Style.com
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