Fashion

Exclusive or Rip-off? Designer Collaboration on the High Street.

Last week saw the eagerly anticipated arrival of Louise Gray’s collection for Topshop. Not only  has she created an autumn/winter capsule collection, she is also the first designer to collaborate on a line of make-up for Topshop which was inspired by her love of rainbow brights and sparkles.

Gray is a big part of the London fashion scene as one of its hottest young designers. She shot to stardom in 2008 and has been exclusively stocked in prestigious department store such as Liberty of London. When news broke you could get a piece of Gray’s eccentric genius in your wardrobe for a fraction of the price at Topshop – it sent the fashion industry and many fashionistas into a frenzy.

Of course, Louise Gray for Topshop isn’t the first ever designer and high collaboration to happen. Just to note a few exclusively at Topshop include the names of some of  London’s most celebrated designers such as Christopher Kane, Richard Nicoll and Mary Katrantzou. September will see JW Anderson’s capsule collection be launched on the 14th.

You couldn’t talk about designer collaborations without mentioning H&M. Most definitely the ring leader of the high street retailers. They have collaborated with some of the world’s most respected designers and fashion houses including; Marni, Versace, Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Viktor & Rolf, Roberto Cavalli, Lanvin, Jimmy Choo and Matthew Williamson – just to name a few. To add to the impressive list it was announced earlier this year the next designer to get the H&M treatment would be Maison Martin Margiela launching in November.

Theres no doubt about it, these collaborations are huge right now. I have also thought of them as being a great way for people like myself to get our hands on a slice of designer action. The thing about buying designer clothing is it is exclusive, great quality and brilliantly designed, hence the hefty price tag. So put the designers range on the high street and it becomes mass produced hence the quality and exclusivity is compromised. The price of the items in the ranges are considerably slashed in comparison to the price of the real deal, however its still a lot more expensive in comparison to the price range of the high street retailer. The majority of the collections are limited edition and made in smaller numbers to a usual range on the high street and they sell out fast. In some cases it can be a matter of hours and one quick search on popular auction site, eBay, shows half of the collections listed at three times the original price. So one way or another you still need a small fortune to buy into these collections.

Theres one other problem. Who doesn’t recognise the Versace for H&M Miami print? Or the Marni spot clash print? It doesn’t seem that exclusive when everyone knows where you got your bright Miami palm tree printed leggings from and how much they cost.

The next two months will see two fashion heavy weights join the world of high street retailing. Despite all the points I’ve raised I’m really excited to see what will be produced. I don’t know what it is about the collections that make them so desirable but you can guarantee I’ll more than likely be in the queue at 7 in the morning along with every other fashionista to secure my spot at the launch of the season.

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