Tomorrow Alexander Wang x H&M, the 10th H&M designer collaboration, is going to hit the H&M online store as well as selected retail stores in an annual event of queueing and website crashes. I already gave my opinion on the topic about a year ago but after a fierce discussion with some friends over lunch today I want to go a little further into details.

Rhianna wearing an Alexander Wang x H&M cropped top leggins combo in the street, pic elleuk.com

Considering values, brand identity and commitment its a partnership between two unlike parties. On the one hand H&M, a fast fashion retailer, has a commitment to offering fashion at the best possible price to its customer. On the other hand luxury or affordable luxury brands have a commitment to great design, best raw materials, outstanding craftsmanship and an exclusive retail environment. From that point of view its only justified to say that these collaborations bare the risk to undermine the high fashion brand. This is particularly how the privileged group of high fashion shoppers likes to perceive the collaborations. But having a look at Dana Thomas book “Deluxe: How luxury has lost its luster” it feels like making luxury “accessible” by big luxury groups like LVMH (owner of brand like Louis Vuitton, Celine, Givenchy, Dior, Guerlain) has long before designer high street retailer collabs started to exist, undermined the “historic definition” of luxury!

“Deluxe: How luxury lost its luster” by Dana Thomas, a really cool book that illustrates how the commercialization of luxury by Bernard Arnault, François Pinault and the likes has heavily shaken up the definition of luxury, pic http://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-How-Luxury-Lost-Luster/dp/0143113704/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415207243&sr=1-1&keywords=deluxe+how+luxury+has+lost+its+luster

But now lets have a look around the fashion world there is another frequent sort of collaboration, namely the luxury brand – art collaboration, which is, due to a structural proximity between luxury and art, often positively viewed, especially by high fashion shoppers. But what does the art world say? A luxury brand is associated with rather conservative values as well as the thought of status symbols as a way of showing the owner is belonging to a certain upper class. Art on the other hand holds true to ethical believes of equality as well as intellectual over financial wealth. Both luxurydaily.com and CCFGB.co.uk see a certain risk in luxury brand – art collaborations that artist loose a reputation in the art world due distortion of ethical values as well as overexposure.

Louis Vuitton Celebrating the Monogram, the latest luxury brand – artist collaboration by one of the leaders in this field, pic http://contents.louisvuitton.com

Isn’t that weird? The same group that criticizes the designer high street collaboration praises the luxury brand artist collaboration, although both bare almost exactly the same risk for the collaborating designer or artist. Years ago John Waters told Paper that one of the things he loved best about art was that it was a hermetic little world that totally intimidated most people. Isn’t the protection of this elitist little group of either luxury status symbol shoppers or art cognoscenti the real reason behind criticizing these collaborations?

Without doubt these collaborations do attract the attention of press and public! Without doubt they do expose the designer/ artist to a greater public! Without doubt they help to “intellectuallify” and raise the high street brands public image!

Anna Wintour’s first Vogue cover from November 1988, model Michaela Bercu wearing Christian LaCroix couture  top and Guess jeans, styled by Carlyne Cerf De Dudzeele, shot by Peter Lindbergh pic http://www.vogue.com/868701/anna-wintour-on-her-first-vogue-cover-plus-a-slideshow-of-her-favorite-images-in-vogue/

Yes these cross-over collaborations are blurring lines. But its likely that blurring lines is a current trend. Starting with Anna Wintour’s Vogue cover from November 1988, where a couture top was mixed with simple acid washed Guess jeans, its one of the key elements in todays fashion to mix luxury and high street in one outfit! Furthermore, it also seems to be a sociological trend as there is constant talk about the new bobo upper class, which is described as people with heart on the left and money on the right in David Brooks book “Bobos in Paradise“.

So I really have to admit that I have to revise my post on the H&M designer collaborations from last year in some points. When a collaboration between these totally different partners is well planned an executed it is not necessarily undermining the designers image. By raising more attention in the general public it might educate more, especially young people about fashion. Thus raising awareness not only for the collaborating designer but also for the luxury fashion sector in general. In this way these cross-over collaborations can have the potential to secure longevity and stability in the designer fashion field. However, and I guess its not possible to take this concern away from me, it might be hard to plan and execute these collaborations! I am not totally sure that H&M is always taking the right route!

In this way happy queueing and 10 min in store shopping tomorrow!

Did you ever make up your mind about these designer high street retailer collaborations? Whats your opinion?