The must-have collaborations to add to your wish list

Fashion giants Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein are creating new labels through strategically cool collaborations, where brand DNAs are traded for profit, logos merge and relevance is the ultimate reward. On the same day as Fendi announcing a partnership with Kim Kardashian’s Skims shapewear line, Tommy Hilfiger launched an unexpected team-up with nineties footwear staple Timberland, while Calvin Klein has released its second capsule collection with social media expert-turned-designer Heron Preston.

“It speaks to the world we are living in today,” said Christopher Raeburn, global creative director of Timberland. “Five or 10 years ago two brands like this wouldn’t have come together. Because you would think we should be competing, but things have really changed a lot.”

Fashion collaborations used to see prestige brands partnering with the mass market for greater recognition, such as Stella McCartney for Target in 2007 and Versace for H&M in 2011, creating the “masstige” phenomenon. On this new battleground where the old guard harnesses contemporary cool, Tommy Hilfiger reigns supreme.

Timberland is the latest in a revolving wardrobe of labels targeted by Hilfiger, following team-ups with Vetements, Kith and celebrities Zendaya, Lewis Hamilton and Gigi Hadid. These keep the 36-year-old Tommy Hilfiger brand, with $US6.9 billion ($9.2 billion) in global sales in 2020, fresh and in the streaming social media feeds of the valuable youth market.

“I’m a very open-minded person,” Hilfiger said on a Zoom call from one of his homes in Palm Beach, Florida. “I like to see and hear how other people think and what they can possibly bring to the table in terms of inspiration. Sometimes the more unique the inspiration, the more exciting it is.”

“We are both old school iconic American brands. Timberland is very much rooted in the outdoors, and we are preppy streetwear. Blended together it makes for an exciting collaboration.”

Fashion Frankensteins are not just for brands that double as name tags on boxer shorts and polo shirts. At Milan Fashion Week, luxury labels Fendi and Versace united to create “Fendace”, Hugo Boss momentarily merged with Russell Athletic and in April, powerhouses Gucci and Balenciaga joined forces.

By teaming up with Timberland, Hilfiger has injected strong utilitarian elements into the collection, with covetable hiking boots uniting practicality with bold colours borrowed from the American flag, preppy stripes in unexpected fabrics and on-trend neon zipper tags. The entrepreneur has tapped into Timberland’s current cool moment, orchestrated by the British artist and designer Raeburn, who has elevated the brand’s appeal far above the ankle with a strong focus on sustainability.