n collection – a series of 11 timepieces in a variety of colors, based on Omega’s Speedmaster Professional case and design – the move drew some grumbles from watch collectors who worried it would diminish Omega’s reputation. But the results proved otherwise. In 2022, the two brands sold over one million MoonSwatches, the name of the timepiece, and they launched a second collection in April this year.  In August, vintage-inspired designer fashion brand LoveShackFancy joined forces with Gap to launch a 76-piece collection that sold out online in just a few hours, while popular preppy label Rowing Blazers has just released over 100 clothing, accessories, and home goods with Target to much anticipation. Begging the question: what is it about high-low collaborations that grab the customer’s attention so thoroughly? The rise of brand collaborations in the retail industry Collaborations between more affordable brands, or mass retailers, and luxury houses are nothing new. H&M released its first designer collection with Karl Lagerfeld in 2004 and has since collaborated with a number of labels including Kenzo, Mugler, and The Vampire’s Wife. In 2003, Target connected with fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi for its first ‘Design For All’ collection, a line meant to bring designer-style goods to a mass audience. In addition to team-ups between high-end brands and mass retailers, link-ups between luxury houses, such as Gucci x Balenciaga, or high-end brands and streetwear labels have become fairly common in the world of fashion. For example in November 2021, streetwear brand Supreme teamed up with prestige jewelry brand Tiffany & Co to create a clothing and accessory line that sold out in a matter of seconds.  Consumers who weren’t able to secure a piece upon initial release went to resale sites like StockX and eBay, where the items were often sold way above the retail price.  However, as collaborations have become more common, it has become more difficult for the brands involved to properly build the hype to ensure the collections sell out.  Have consumers become fed up with brand collaborations?  Data from a 2022 Edited report showed that items from a 2017 collaboration between Supreme and Louis Vuitton could be found on secondhand sites for as much as 400 per cent more than their original recommended retail price (RRP). However, more recent collaborations, like the Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga collection, were available for only 33 per cent above their original RRP.  In November 2022, Balenciaga and Gucci joined together to launch a collection dubbed The Hacker Project. While the collection sold out relatively quickly online, Edited found that it took an average of 34 days to sell through globally, with only 15 per cent of styles replenished.  The sense of exclusivity and excitement that designer collaborations used to elicit 10 or 20 years ago no longer seems to be there, suggesting that retailers and brands need to be more strategic about how they approach these kinds of releases moving forward.  Why are high-low collaborations still of interest? While the overall hype around designer collaborations has fallen from the height that Supreme and Louis Vuitton once achieved in 2017, there is still an active market for high-low collections due to the current economic environment, which has seen some consumers pull back their spending on luxury items. In the second quarter of 2023, Kering, which owns brands like Balenciaga and Gucci, saw North American sales plummet 23 per cent, Burberry saw a decrease of 8 per cent, and Prada was down by 6 per cent.  Kayla Marci, a senior retail analyst from the retail intelligence company Edited, theorized that the interest in high-low collaborations will rise as inflation continues to impact consumers’ discretionary spending. “Edited found that inflation and exercises in maintaining brand exclusivity have caused average luxury prices to surge 29 per cent compared to 2019. This will make high-low collaborations between designers and mass market brands more critical than ever to maintain relationships with young aspirational consumers that high-end luxury brands are no longer courting,” she told Inside Retail. “Conversely, it can help elevate mass brands and drive sales, as these partnerships have historically yielded strong results. For example, the H&M x Mugler range sold out in under a day. Aware of the splash this partnership would create, H&M limited buying one piece of each style per customer online, which also helped maintain the collection’s exclusivity.” Marci predicted that high-low collaborations will continue to appear throughout the year with positive sales results. “The trend will continue to gain traction, with several high-calibre collections expected to land at mass market retailers throughout the year, including Target x Rowing Blazers in September and Banana Republic x Peter Do in October.”