It is a rare day when you can find skateboarding and high fashion within close proximity of one another, let alone in collaboration. That, however, was all changed when the whispered rumours were finally put to rest at Louis Vuitton’s Fall 2017 menswear collection, which showcased for the first time their new collaboration with skateboarding street wear brand, Supreme, sending avid followers of both labels into overdrive.

The unisex pieces consist of Louis Vuitton holdalls, bumbags, backpacks, trunks, trainers, scarves and hats (among other things), many of which are in Supreme’s signature bright-red hue with their infamous white logo emblazoned on each item, in amongst the iconic LV monogram. While some have hailed this as genius, others are not so sure, with Guy Trebay of the New York Times calling it “the fashion version of a murder suicide”. Despite this strange dichotomy between brand images, which have now been fused, something about this collaboration may work in favour of both parties.

“The semi-mysterious allure of the brand has thus attracted a cult following, including a mass of celebrities from Drake to Kanye West to Kylie Jenner, allowing its presence in the public eye to spread immensely”

Supreme was founded in 1994, originally with skaters in mind, although the fashion world began to pay attention due to their unusual method of releasing clothes, which created a hype unlike any other. Choosing to steer clear of traditional methods, whereby brands release full collections at a time, Supreme instead opts to release only a few items at a time, once per week on a Thursday. The result of this is that there is only a limited supply of products in a limited number of stores worldwide, forcing people to go to the extremes in order to get their hands on these pieces, despite the majority of these being largely simple t-shirts, sweatshirts and accessories. The semi-mysterious allure of the brand has thus attracted a cult following, including a mass of celebrities from Drake to Kanye West to Kylie Jenner, allowing its presence in the public eye to spread immensely.

While the casual street aesthetic of Supreme may seem worlds away from that of high-end labels like Louis Vuitton, this collaboration may not be such a bad idea. As is being perpetually reiterated, social media and its impact is pivotal when it comes to marketing and promotion in the fashion industry. Brands such as Supreme, with their gargantuan followings on social media (which is only multiplied by the exposure gained from celebrity fans), can offer brands like Louis Vuitton this unique level of exposure which automatically allows them to reach out to and connect with people who perhaps wouldn’t be so inclined to buy into or even take an interest in their label.

Louis Vuitton has remained one of the world’s most widely-renowned and prestigious fashion houses for many years, with French designer Nicholas Ghesquière currently at its helm, and produces not only clothing but also accessories, travel items, fragrances and jewellery. However, its ready-to-wear collections and specialty items, such as their luggage, remain somewhat out of touch with the average consumer (most probably due to the hefty price-tag) and so drawing attention to these more attainable sub-sections of their brands (accessories etc.), which are far more accessible to the average fashion follower, is necessary for maintaining both brand notoriety and revenue. 

Feeling the Bern at Balenciaga

Yet this is certainly not the first time that high-end brands have joined forces with ‘streetwear’ labels. At Alexander Wang’s Spring/Summer 2017 show last September, he debuted the first look at an upcoming collaboration with Adidas Originals. He presented a number of sportswear inspired basics, true to Alexander Wang’s iconic image, which inverted Adidas’ unmistakeable logo across t-shirts, tracksuits and jackets. A capsule collection of nine pieces (out of the full 84) was released via pop-up trucks across a number of cities to get everyone excited… sound familiar?

This also comes in the wake of collaborations between the now-infamous brand, Vetements, with long-time sportswear manufacturers, Champion and Reebok. Demna Gvasalia, designer at Vetements and also creative director at Balenciaga, has taken the world by storm in the past year, cementing Vetements as an absolute must-have cult brand for any avid follower of fashion. Its products have been seen on editors, style bloggers and celebrities all over the globe, yet when a pair of jeans retails for close to £1000, we can instantly see how they cannot attract all customers.

Evidently though, these high-end fashion houses have seen something in high-street labels which appeals to them. Their invaluable accessibility is something which the high-end brands themselves cannot attract due to their very nature, and so while many may be speculative and sceptical of these collaborations and question their very intentions, they undoubtedly work time and time again