“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” The eternal words of Shakespeare’s Juliet can unintentionally be used as an introduction to the discussion about brand collaborations, ever more common among many famous designers. Karl Lagerfeld and Shu Uemura, Marc Jacobs and Coca Cola, Lancôme and Alber Elbaz, Isabel Marant and H&M are just few collaborations, but the list certainly doesn’t end there nor does the popularity they’ve gained. For when a famous name in fashion is lending talent and brand visibility to another, it is almost always met with open arms among the big public. In relation to the increasing popularity and demand of individual style this can however seem somewhat odd. How can an individual style be kept if it constantly wants to be in connection with someone else’s name? Especially when the lower prices make it even more appealing to the masses.
Naturally there can be many answers to this. From one point of view the product is often being presented as a limited or special edition and therefore exudes a form of exclusivity, something that is highly in association with individuality. From another, since the fascination of labels was put into high gear during the 1990s, many of the consumers of these collaborations may be themselves some kind of products of that era, creating an explanation for their subconscious desire to purchase.
More can certainly be said and everyone surely has their own opinion on this. We may acknowledge that by purchasing a designer label in collaboration with someone, we are not becoming one with the designer as an individual. The words of Juliet still apply here; the names of designers may appear to be of importance but if the physical outcome doesn’t fit with our perception and desire for it, it won’t help promoting a personality or a style. Just because someone has the possibility to purchase certain labels, it won’t give him or her a “sweeter smell”. The smell is nothing more than a fleeting moment of glitz and glam which is up to the consumer to sustain.
