New luxury collaborations for spring are easy-going, chic, unusual

The fashion week season has just ended and luxury labels are already back centre stage, dropping a spate of new collaborations (some of them first unveiled on the runways) designed to attract consumers and stimulate their interest again. JW Anderson, MM6, Tommy Hilfiger, Giorgio Armani and Patou have teamed up with artists, celebrities, other labels and retailers, creating capsule collections that are chic and easy-going, classic and futuristic, indispensable and unusual.

While Swiss footwear label Bally recently signed up actor Adrien Brody, Tommy Hilfiger has enlisted Canadian star singer Shawn Mendes to create a 28-item collection. The focus is very much on sustainability, using recycled and innovative materials to make sweaters, t-shirts, varsity jackets, trousers and shirts that reinterpret in casual fashion the US label’s classic preppy mood, drawing inspiration from the 1990s. The collection was launched on March 15, with a campaign lensed by Cass Bird featuring Mendes with members of his inner circle.

MM6, the contemporary line by Parisian label Maison Margiela has joined forces with Chenpeng, a label that caused quite a stir in its first presentation as part of the Paris Fashion Week calendar with a series of amazing evening gowns/down jackets. Chinese designer Chen Peng, known for his futuristic, eccentric down jackets, and MM6 have worked together to create three original variations on the puffer theme: a parka, a jacket and a gilet, which will be commercialised next September.

Jonathan Anderson has dropped the ‘Rembrandt’ mini-collection, inspired by the renowned master of the 17th century Dutch school of painting and his self-portraits, which the Irish designer thinks were the first original selfies. He worked in particular with Rembrandt’s ‘Self-portrait with Haggard Eyes’, which the painter made with pen and ink in 1630, aged 24. The rather bewildered face with wide-open eyes and a pinched mouth stares out from colourful pullovers and sweatshirts, silk trousers and shirts, canvas shoes, as well as a bag and various hats. The British label is especially prolific, as it is also about to launch, on March 30, the new Uniqlo x JW Anderson collection, featuring a fresh take on some sportswear staples.

Spanish model, DJ and stylist Sita Abellán was invited by LVMH-owned Patou to revisit the label’s iconic Petit Patou handbag. The result are two models in the handbag’s crescent-moon shape, one in pink, the other in purple-red, both equipped with shoulder straps decorated with the artist’s signature snake. They are made of recycled organic cotton with a denim and metallic leather effect, featuring a top-stitched logo and fringed edge, by Spanish producer Ubrique, which manufactures all Patou’s upcycled leather handbags. The handbags are available exclusively on Patou’s e-shop and on the Farfetch and Browns Fashion sites, photographed by Louie Banks.

Italian couturier Giorgio Armani has dropped a second collaboration with renowned Milanese luxury concept store 10 Corso Como. Denim is the main protagonist, sometimes associated with leather, and featured in a series of ready-to-wear items and accessories. A blazer, casual jacket, midi skirt, flared shorts, jeans, bandeau top, boots and handbag, all in shades of navy blue, make up a complete wardrobe showcasing the Italian label's understated elegance. The items can be worn as a total look, but are also easy to combine.

New luxury collaborations for spring are easy-going, chic, unusual

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