2025 was a turning point for fashion collaborations. What has long been a tool for brands to innovate and surprise shoppers with unexpected partnerships continues to fall flat more often in a progressively crowded space. Many brands still haven’t figured it out.
Over the past five years, brands have increasingly relied on collaboration-based economies of scale, according to James Whitner. The Whitaker Group founder’s brands, such as A Ma Maniére and APB, are no strangers to this, as they frequently drop collaboration products, whether it’s suede Maniére-mauve shoes with Nike or tracksuits with Lanvin. Like many execs, Whitner thinks brands’ increased reliance on collaborations has muddied things. “People are exhausted by collaboration. Scarcity is necessary,” he says.
Fashion collaborations need to evolve to succeed in the future. Louis Vuitton’s re-edition with Takashi Murakami and Skims x Nike may have been splashy in 2025, but there were plenty of others that weren’t so resonant. Why? In today’s environment and to excite today’s customers, collaborations have to satisfy an ever-changing matrix of characteristics. “Simply coming together with another brand isn’t enough,” says J.Crew CMO Julia Collier. “The attention of audiences and customers is being fought over constantly, so creating something that feels fresh and timely is the only way you can stand out.”
Understanding audiences to create culture
To make a collaboration work well in 2026, collaborators must both make sense and cause surprise. “Great collaborations start with doing your homework,” Stacy Bereck, NielsenIQ’s global practice leader of consumer insights and brand, says. “Brands need a clear understanding of their target audience… their values, preferences, and even how they’ll perceive potential partners. The best collaborations are built around shared values between the brand, the collaborator (whether that’s another brand or an influencer), and the audience they’re trying to reach.”
A good collaboration isn’t just about selling out, according to Gap president and CEO Mark Breitbard. A good match-up also drives culture. “When we look at collabs, our filter is simple: is it fun? Is it unexpected? Is it a vibe? The right partner brings relevance we can’t create alone,” Breitbard says. It’s paying off too: more than a quarter of customers who shopped Gap collabs in 2025 (like its drops with Béis, Sandy Liang, Dôen, and Harlem’s Fashion Row) were new to the brand. In Breitbard’s view, “the best collaborations bring in new audiences and build brand heat.”