2023 has got off to an extremely promising start when it comes to new fashion collabs. This season, fashion, art and jewellery collide in a series of partnerships that are as colourful as they are covetable. From the playful, polka-dot inspired pairing of Louis Vuitton and artist Yayoi Kusama to the much-talked-about Tiffany & Co spin on Nike’s classic Air Force 1 sneaker, these are the SS23 fashion collaborations that everyone is talking about right now.
Fashion Collaborations 2023
Christian Cowan x Teletubbies
This season’s 90s-inspired fashion has been taken to a whole new level thanks to British designer Christian Cowan, who’s latest five-piece capsule collection features none other than the Teletubbies. The hit children’s’ TV characters appear emblazoned across t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts and denim jackets, with Tinky Winky, Laa-Laa and Po captured posing alongside models.
But the standout piece in the range has to be the neon green knee-high stiletto boots topped with a toy version of Dipsy, a tribute to Cowan’s favourite Teletubby. Known for his fun and whimsical creations, Cowan designed the capsule to appeal to those, like himself, who grew up watching the Teletubbies and have now fallen in love with them all over again.
Beyonce x Balmain
Collaborations don’t come much bigger than Beyoncé and Balmain. When the French fashion house’s creative director Olivier Rousteing found himself listening to the pop queen’s new album Renaissance on repeat last summer, the tracks started to bleed into the designs he was sketching. Soon he had a whole Renaissance-inspired collection in mind, and he knew he had to get Beyoncé on board. Luckily, she was only too happy to oblige.
The result is a couture collection created as a partnership between Rousteing, Beyoncé and her stylist Marni Senofonte, featuring a hammered metal bustier covered in spikes, a black velvet gown embroidered with pink feathers and a show-stopping silver fringed mini dress with a matching cape.
Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama
The worlds of Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama have collided in a vibrant, joyful way for the new fashion collab that’s everywhere right now. This is the second collaboration between the French luxury brand and the Japanese avant-garde artist, resulting in a collection that reinterprets the Maison’s iconic pieces by adorning them with Kusama’s signature, eye-popping motifs. And so you have painted dots, metallic dots, infinity dots and psychedelic flowers across clothes, accessories including, of course, bags, and limited-edition perfumes.
To celebrate the partnership, the facade of Harrods has been covered in giant, multi-hued dots, with a 15-metre sculpture of the artist outside the department store entrance, window displays and a pop-up further dedicated to one of fashion and art’s most playful partnerships.
Nike x Tiffany & Co
Nike is no stranger to fashion collaborations. The global sportswear giant has seen its sneakers been given a makeover by everyone from Jacquemus and Sacai to Off-White and Comme des Garçons. And now they have teamed up with Tiffany & Co on a brand-new pair of trainers – Nike x Tiffany & Co Air Force 1 1837 – in what is the first foray into footwear for the luxury jewellery brand.
The new fashion collab shoes, due for release on 7 March, will take the form of the classic Air Force 1 (which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year) in all black, mostly suede, with the Nike swoosh in the classic Tiffany Blue. Adorning the trainer is a .925 sterling silver heel tab, and Tiffany script has been stitched onto the tongue tag. Sneakerheads will want to stock up on the limited-edition sterling silver accessories too, including a Nike x Tiffany shoe horn, shoe cleaning brush and whistle.
Jimmy Choo x Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Last year, their collab with Mugler was the toast of the fashion world – now Jimmy Choo is back with another much-hyped partnership, only this time they’re delving into the world of manga. In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the mould-breaking anime series Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon – arguably the most stylish Japanese manga of all time – Jimmy Choo’s creative director Sandra Choi has teamed up with Sailor Moon’s creator Naoko Takeuchi to create a striking, colour-saturated capsule.
Championing their shared values of bold individuality and female empowerment, each of the key characters has been given their own unique shoe style, kicking off with the made-to-order Sailor Moon boot, a vibrant fuchsia pink knee-high stretch style studded with Swarovski crystals and featuring a signature Jimmy Choo kick heel. Elsewhere you’ll find glossy blue patent leather platform boots in homage to Sailor Mercury, sharply pointed pumps in Sailor Mars’ signature scarlet and chunky emerald green leather combat boots in a nod to Sailor Jupiter.
Available from 14 February
jimmychoo.com
Le Specs x More Joy
Since debuting on the runway in AW18, Christopher and Tammy Kane’s capsule label More Joy (initially inspired by the 1972 erotic book The Joy of Sex) has garnered quite a following for its irreverent, upbeat designs. So it should come as no surprise that the label’s second collaboration with cult Australian eyewear brand Le Specs has resulted in a vibrant, mood-boosting collection of sunglasses.
The 90s-inspired rectangular-shaped Edition I has been reimagined in six punchy colourways: choose from neon-bright yellow, pink or green frames each with smoke-grey lenses or the classic black frame with tinted yellow, pink or green lenses. Either way, they promise to take you “from sunny moments year-round to parties world-over”.
Loewe x Howl’s Moving Castle
Loewe has just launched its third and final partnership with the Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli – Howl’s Moving Castle. The film has been brought to life by an imaginative collection, featuring characters and scenes from Hayao Miyazaki’s much-loved movie.
And so you have Howl, Sophie, Markl, Heen (the dog), Turnip Head and the Witch of the Waste all vividly depicted in print, embroidery and leather marquetry across ready-to-wear, bags and accessories. The new fashion collab follows Loewe’s previous collections with Studio Ghibli – My Neighbor Totoro in 2021 and 2020’s Spirited Away capsule.
Miu Miu x New Balance
Fans of the highly coveted Miu Miu x New Balance collaboration, which first debuted on the Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2022 runway, will be thrilled to hear that the duo are releasing three new colourways. Still focusing on the iconic 574 silhouette, the latest releases come in fringed blue, marble-effect cognac denim and blanched white vintage-look nappa leather.
Blending Miu Miu’s raw-edged aesthetic with New Balance’s retro-inspired designs, the trainers embody the concept of reinvention, transitioning from deconstruction to reconstruction while leaving traces of its evolution behind. The result is a pair of sneakers that combines Italian chic with all-American athleticism.
Ganni x Ester Manas
Sustainable, inclusive fashion brand Ester Manas, founded by French designer Manas on body-positive principles, has joined forces with the Danish label Ganni for a SS23 collection. While little is known of the new fashion collab, we got a hint of it in October during Manas’s ‘Sunset Body’ show at Paris’s Palais de Tokyo.
The preview came in the form of a cropped white Ganni-emblazoned tee-shirt with two hands clasped together in a heart shape, worn by British model Alva Claire down the runway, and several styles of shoes including mules, moccasins, sandals and studded clogs.
Fatboy x Longchamp
Sophie Delafontaine, Creative Director of Longchamp, certainly knows how to keep the heritage brand relevant. For SS23, she has teamed up with Dutch design company Fatboy again (they have collaborated before) to put the glamour into glamping with the Glamping O – a meeting of Fatboy’s Lamzac O inflatable armchair and Lomgchamp’s Le Pliage bag.
Lightweight, durable and easy to inflate, the Glamping O chair is crafted entirely from recycled polyester and will come in three Opal Fruit brights, in line with the new Le Pliage collection – acid green, candy pink and eye-popping orange. A side pocket with the bag’s classic Russian leather flap adds a practical spin.
Monica Vinader x Mother of Pearl
This is the second collaborative jewellery collection from two brands that are passionate about sustainability: Mother of Pearl and Monica Vinader. The five-piece capsule, which launches on 6 March, looks to nature for inspiration across a ring, bangle and three different earring styles. All have been crafted responsibly using 100% recycled gold vermeil and keshi pearls, with the ring and bangle fully traceable via Monica Vinader’s chain transparency initiative Product Passport.
Proceeds from the new collection will be split across social and environmental causes that are close to the hearts of both brands: Women for Women International, an organisation that provides aid to women in conflict-affected countries; Our Dementia Choir, that cares for community members living with dementia; and Blue Marine Foundation, a charity dedicated to restoring the ocean to health.
Ace & Tate x Polly Nor
Ace & Tate looks to London-based artist Polly Nor for this new fashion collab, which is the first a series of creative collaborations by the innovative Dutch eyewear brand. Nor is best known for her darkly satirical drawings of women and their demons, telling stories of everything from complicated relationships to the battle for self-acceptance in the internet age.
In this unique partnership, which launches on Valentine’s Day, Nor has created bespoke hand-drawn illustrations, which have been engraved onto the inside of a cherry-red pair of Ace & Tate’s best-selling ‘Jacques’ sunglasses. The artist has also designed a trio of limited-edition 100% RPET glasses cleaning cloths, featuring imagery around the theme of desire.
