It was a heady year in the world of fashion collaborations. The snake biting the brand’s tail on brand equipment dominated the conversation: Fendace. Adidas Gucci. Adidas for Prada. Balenciaga/Adidas. Calm down Adidas! The company pulled the plug on its partnership with Yeezy, and we all know how Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga fared, despite its catchy name. Balmain x Barbie was just the first step. Soon we’ll be firmly ensconced in an era of Barbie this, Barbie cross-promoting for the 2023 movie. I hope you like fuchsia!
Fendace and Harry Styles HA HA HA for Gucci. Courtesy of Fendace and Gucci.
Well, it’s all subjective, but a lot of these corporate Voltrons looked like Frankensteins along with logos instead of neck studs; Fortunately, this trend seems to have peaked, or I’m off to Walgreens’ Duane Reade for an aspirin or a bite to eat at Pizza Hut. Taco Bell. On the other hand, the line between the gift shop and the museum became even more blurred. Designers from Mugler to Dior to Schiaparelli to Virgil Abloh had exhibition successes in high-traffic museums. Louis Vuitton presented “200 Trunks, 200 Visionaries” in Los Angeles and New York; one left (carrying a sack full of merch) feeling like they had been to a well put together show rather than a brand activation – there were some great and clever trunks! Fashion ruled the art spaces, but art was not paramount in the year’s fashion collaborations.
If it wasn’t brand-on-brand action, it was famous faces injecting their celebrity into capsule collections. Gucci HA HA HA by Harry Styles was a global success for Allesandro Michele’s swan song. Partnering with Calvin Klein’s Palace gave us some strong basics and powerful messaging with their Alasdair McLellan film and campaign. You can’t go wrong with Joan Collins and Puppets. As usual, The North Face and Supreme teamed up with all of them to make them more mountaineering and streetwear, respectively (whoever has the highest price tag always wins that aspect of the brand mix, though). Supreme’s Burberry pairing was a smooth tartan move ahead of creative director Riccardo Tisci’s departure. It’s still hard to recover from their infamous 2021 Skittles collaboration, yet the nerdiest nadir in Supreme’s fallout history. Never forget!
It is giving mud and metaphor: the dystopian catwalk of Balenciaga by the artist Santiago Sierra. Courtesy of Balenciaga.
The stage was literally set in 2022 for art’s revenge in 2023, with artists styling the runways of blockbusters like Celine, Dior, Hermès and Balenciaga. But the contribution of artists to the collections themselves was not as widespread as in previous years. But don’t tell that to Daniel Arsham, who surely was a busy bee, pumping out everything from jewelry to hotels to bathroom sinks to a smartphone, plus his own brand of clothing. Arsham has really made an art of brand collaboration. (He would suggest that he join Adidas, but he already has.) Here are some art/fashion moments from 2022 that we didn’t cover, but still resonate. Until 2023! 
Models wear Duncan Grant-inspired knitwear at the Dior Men Summer 2023 show. Courtesy of Dior.
DIOR MAN
For the summer 2023 collection, creative director Kim Jones was inspired by Bloomsbury Group multi-writer Duncan Grant. Primarily a painter, Grant was also a textile designer, ceramicist, and set designer, as well as an underground illustrator of gay erotica and an avid gardener.
Recreating Grant’s Charleston country estate and gardens for the catwalk, Jones played bucolic play through Grant’s work and predilections in all their lavishness and contradictions. It was a refreshingly smart spin on streetwear favorites like past collaborators KAWS and Raymond Pettibon. But with his version of Grant, Jones wasn’t faking the funk but looking inward and following his muse: he’s been a huge Bloomsbury fan since he was 14. 
Duncan Grant, detail of an untitled drawing (c. 1946–59). Photo courtesy of the Charleston Trust, © The Estate of Duncan Grant, licensed by DACS 2020.
supreme x stone island
If Leonardo da Vinci found out about the seventh capsule collection between the Italian luxury brand and the skate giant, he’d roll in his grave and say, “Finally!” The Mona Lisa smiles because she is wearing a waterproof anorak.
Stone Island x Supreme. Courtesy of Isla de la Piedra.
Cass x Prada
People will soon start referring to Damien Hirst as “the father of Cass Hirst” because his son’s shoe designs are so great. Junior Hirst (who goes by the mononym Cass) has produced four styles of Prada’s iconic America’s Cup sneaker in 22 variables. Kicking has always been Cass’s canvas; he started decorating Nike Air Force Ones at age 14. Early spray-painted iterations of him were snapped up by the likes of A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti, Offset, Rihanna, AJ Tracey and the late Virgil Abloh.
Cass x Prada America’s Cup “Rel3ase” sneakers (about $1,890). Courtesy of Prada.
Sky High Farm Workwear and Comme des Garçons T-SHIRT
Perhaps this is projection (or just reading too much into the logo of a strawberry stroking the moon), but a sense of tranquility exudes from multimedia artist Dan Colen’s Sky High Farm. The royal working farm and its new clothing branch are fast becoming a cultural giant. And it reeks of good vibes, as 100% of the proceeds from this Comme des Garcons SHIRT collaboration will benefit the nonprofit’s mission of “making nutritious food grown with regenerative agriculture methods accessible to communities in need.” Doing good never looked so good. The selection of button-down shirts and T-shirts is a quirky and sustainable fusion of both brands. They don’t skimp on tie-dye, which surprisingly doesn’t look retro, but more modern. Someone’s got to be an optimist these days. You may have never thought that Rei Kawakubo and Dan Colen would spread cheer, but it’s fabulous.
You really can’t be subtle to fight the good fight, can you? Courtesy of Sky High Farms Work Wear.
celine
Celine is so much a part of menswear that it’s strange to think that Celine Homme has only been around since 2019. Creative Director Hedi Slimane is inspired, enamored and obsessed with art – he’s a factor in every collection, including big names. and strangers she draws from Instagram to contribute big and small strokes to the garments and design of the runway and soundtrack. For each outing, he tends to assemble a ragtag but transitory crew. For her summer ’23 show “Dysfunctional Bauhaus,” she worked with the estate of Swiss artist David Weiss, of the Fischli/Weiss duo, along with Peter Fischli to splash ocean wave drawings and watercolors on accessories like skateboards and handbags.
The refreshing touch of Hedi Slimane’s David Weiss-inspired accessories. Courtesy of Celine.
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