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collaborations are the new currency for the fashion industry
While international luxury houses are joining forces with each other now more than ever, in India we’ve seen few, once-a-year kind of instances of designer collaborations grabbing eyeballs. In 2014, couture designer Manish Arora gave his colourful contemporary twist to Amrapali’s traditional jewellery. Sabyasachi made headlines in 2017 for collaborating with footwear icon Christian Louboutin. In 2019, resort wear designers Shivan & Narresh teamed up with Heads Up For Tails to launch a luxury pets wear line. Earlier this year, jewellery designer Suhani Parekh of Misho surprised everyone by collaborating with coffee brand Araku (details of which you can read here).
Unlike on a dating app, finding the perfect collaborative match is not as easy as swiping right. There are many factors that need to be considered. For Govil, it’s about matching aesthetics when it comes to working with another designer and creating a unique product altogether. Singhal, who has done over 20 collaborations in the past, agrees with Govil when it comes to aesthetics. “Our collaboration decisions are well thought out. We have an internal process of identifying product categories we want to work with and the brands within each of these categories which resonate and match with our aesthetic, brand promise and target audience,” explains Singhal. “Business growth, category expansion and channel presence are performance indicators within the guard rails of brand aesthetic, target audience appeal and product synergy. The most important thing for our brand when we collaborate is to think about the synergy of the two brands. Not only do I have to like the product aesthetically, but also resonate with the ethos behind the product category and brand whom we are collaborating with,” she adds.
“THE BEST PART ABOUT COLLABORATIONS IS THAT WHILE YOU ARE LENDING YOUR STRENGTHS, YOU ARE ALSO REAPING THE BENEFITS FROM THE OTHER BRANDS' STRENGTHS, IN TERMS OF PRODUCT EXPERTISE, MANUFACTURING AND CHANNEL STRENGTH.”
Says Payal Singhal.
Designer Payal Singhal believes that this ‘trend,’ which has worked in favour of international brands for decades, started gaining momentum in India in the last ten years. But it is only now that designers are realising that collaborations are the new currency for the fashion industry. “With collaborations, fashion becomes a democratised commodity that reaches newer audience segments and helps increase your product offering,” says Singhal, who, in the past, has teamed up with Bombay Shirt Company, retail brand Indya, home décor label Marshalls, footwear label Fizzy Goblet and, most recently, with jewellery designer Sangeeta Boochra.
Unlike on a dating app, finding the perfect collaborative match is not as easy as swiping right. There are many factors that need to be considered. For Govil, it’s about matching aesthetics when it comes to working with another designer and creating a unique product altogether. Singhal, who has done over 20 collaborations in the past, agrees with Govil when it comes to aesthetics. “Our collaboration decisions are well thought out. We have an internal process of identifying product categories we want to work with and the brands within each of these categories which resonate and match with our aesthetic, brand promise and target audience,” explains Singhal. “Business growth, category expansion and channel presence are performance indicators within the guard rails of brand aesthetic, target audience appeal and product synergy. The most important thing for our brand when we collaborate is to think about the synergy of the two brands. Not only do I have to like the product aesthetically, but also resonate with the ethos behind the product category and brand whom we are collaborating with,” she adds.
“THE BEST PART ABOUT COLLABORATIONS IS THAT WHILE YOU ARE LENDING YOUR STRENGTHS, YOU ARE ALSO REAPING THE BENEFITS FROM THE OTHER BRANDS' STRENGTHS, IN TERMS OF PRODUCT EXPERTISE, MANUFACTURING AND CHANNEL STRENGTH.”
Says Payal Singhal.
Designer Payal Singhal believes that this ‘trend,’ which has worked in favour of international brands for decades, started gaining momentum in India in the last ten years. But it is only now that designers are realising that collaborations are the new currency for the fashion industry. “With collaborations, fashion becomes a democratised commodity that reaches newer audience segments and helps increase your product offering,” says Singhal, who, in the past, has teamed up with Bombay Shirt Company, retail brand Indya, home décor label Marshalls, footwear label Fizzy Goblet and, most recently, with jewellery designer Sangeeta Boochra.