Luxury fashion and sports brands join forces to create exclusive collections
The mix between comfort and luxury is increasingly present in the fashion industry. Sportswear brands are teaming up with catwalk brands to merge these two styles and create exclusive and original collections. Last year, last year saw collaborations such as Opening Ceremony x Vans or Noah x Barbour, and this 2022 returns full of crossovers between luxury and sport.
Here are four collaborations you’ll want to have in your wardrobe.
Louis Vuitton x Nike
Originally designed by Nike in 1982, the Air Force 1 has become a classic signature shoe. Now, Nike joins forces with Louis Vuitton to present the most anticipated high-top sneakers. Before he passed away, Virgil Abloh, who was artistic director of Vuitton’s menswear line for four years, considered the Air Force 1 a cultural symbol in its own right. This shoe transcends into an objet d’art, a symbol of subculture, with a touch of magic and innovation.
Moreover, these are the first sneakers created outside a Nike factory. All Louis Vuitton x Nike models have been handmade in the Maison’s workshop. The craftsmanship, finesse and savoir-faire that went into their manufacture have made it possible to offer the most authentic high-top trainer in history.
Louis Vuitton x Nike collaboration – Louis Vuitton
In the collection, we found 47 different models, with colour combinations, metallic gold and silver versions or a model with squares and a “Mid” size with graffiti on the side. However, one of the most eagerly awaited editions was the white sneaker, which perfectly reflects the care and beauty of Abloh’s design.
Maison Margiela x Reebok
We’re all familiar with the Maison Margiela x Reebok split toe sneaker. This iconic collaboration is back in 2022 reinterpreting a series of the sports brand’s classic trainers through the Maison’s signature Memory Of concept. This concept is based on the illusory and often figurative codes of the Maison’s creative practice. These codes and techniques are applied to Reebok designs to create this new line.
Collaboration Maison Margiela x Reebok – Maison Margiela
Reebok revisits its past by reimagining five sneakers – Classic Leather, Club C, Instapump Fury, The Question and Zig 3D Storm – through the eyes of the French house. The collection distils each brand’s aesthetic into its respective essence, combining traditional sports styling with elements of deconstructed motifs that are at the core of Margiela’s philosophy. All the shoes are monochrome in black or white. They feature a classic silhouette with the deconstruction in leather, which Margiela says represents “the memory of something that used to be there, but no longer exists”.
Maison Margiela x Reebok Collaboration – Maison Margiela
Loewe x ON
Loewe has partnered with Swiss performance brand ON on a limited-edition collection of sustainable clothing and footwear. It is a collaboration with technical qualities “designed for modern adventure”. It is ON’s first partnership with a luxury fashion house, described by them as “the marriage of luxury heritage craftsmanship and Swiss technology”, offering a new reinterpretation of sportswear.
Loewe x ON collaboration – Loewe
The ON performance shoes Cloudventure and Cloudrock for men and women are presented in four different colours: khaki, grey, blue and orange. The colour palette is inspired by nature. The designs follow the gradient technique and one of them has a needlepoint print inspired by Japanese sashiko. There are two versions of the shoe, a pair of high hiking boots and a pair of running shoes.
Loewe x ON collaboration – Loewe
Also included are six Ready-to-wear garments for women and seven for men, such as waterproof trousers and anoraks or temperature-regulating T-shirts.
Gucci x Adidas
At Milan Fashion Week and during the autumn-winter 2022 show, Gucci presented the Exquisite collection. The looks on the catwalk were accompanied by the three stripes and the Adidas logo, presenting the collaboration between the Italian house and the sports brand. It’s not the first time we’ve seen a union between Adidas and a luxury brand. For example, in 2019, adidas worked with Prada to redesign the brand’s classics with a line of shoes and bags.
Gucci x Adidas collaboration – Gucci
A variety of sports-inspired pieces debuted on the catwalk, featuring Gucci aesthetics with urban touches. To present the selection, Alessandro Michele proposed a series of dynamically shaped images on a brightly coloured background. The collection is characterised by lots of colour, energetic prints and the emblematic motifs of each brand, such as the Adidas trefoil or the Gucci monogram.
Gucci x Adidas Collaboration – Gucci
In addition, there are multiple pieces made with sustainable materials, reflecting the commitment to innovation and progress of the two firms.
Images provided by the aforementioned brands.
