By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
With 2021 in the rear view mirror, it’s a good time to look at the licensing collaborations that really worked.
Thankfully, the research team at Love The Sales (lovethesales.com) has done the research, and has compiled those fashion collaborations that resulted in the most demand or online searches.
According to Love The Sales, the partnership that created the most buzz was a collaboration between outdoor specialist The North Face and Gucci, a story we covered when it launched almost exactly a year ago, in January 2021. That North Face x Gucci team up resulted in a 231% increase in brand searches for The North Face in December 2021, showing lasting and deep appeal. As well, the team up resulted in a 70% boost in brand searches for Gucci in December 2021.
In second place, Balenciaga’s increasing interest in digital fashion resulted in a big win thanks to a key partnership with the video game hit Fortnite, owned by Epic Games. The virtual and physical capsule collection heavily featured Fortnite print grey hoodies and a selection of baseball style caps, and resulted in a 30% increase in brand searches for Balenciaga in September 2021.
In third place, Love The Sales says rapper and not-terribly-successful presidential candidate Kanye West partnered with the Gap on his Yeezy line of sneakers. The partnership resulted in a 21% increase in brand searches for GAP in October 2021. In relation to the release of his album DONDA, Kanye’s Gap collaboration showed us plain hoodies and PVC jackets in a full range of colours for us to pick.
Love The Sales also took a wider look at which brands saw the greatest increase in online interest overall, and it appears Balenciaga’s focus on digital caught on with consumers in a big way. The company saw a 150% increase in brand searches in 2021, compared with 2020. Gucci also spent a lot of time and effort on its digital presence, and placed second in the Love The Sales data with a 90% rise in fashion demand for the brand in 2021, compared to 2020. The rest of the top 5 for the year were SKIMS with a 50% increase in fashion demand, SAVAGE X FENTY with a +37% increase, and Louis Vuitton, boasting a 21% increase.
Finally, Love The Sales dove into the world of social media influencers, and again, Balenciaga topped the list through its tag team effort with Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala. Kardashian appeared at the Met in a head-to-toe ensemble that made her look like a black outline, and the bold fashion statement set social media on fire. “The now iconic Kim K Balenciaga ensemble may not have fit the Met Gala 2021 theme of ‘America’ directly, but by far was the most talked about look this year,” said the Love The Sales report. “With social media ablaze with memes and gifs in the minutes after, the Kim K outfit caused a huge frenzy for Balenciaga.”
The influencer deal also resulted in a staggering 317% increase in searches for Balenciaga clothing, the report says, showing the power of social media influencers in today’s licensing world.
“From the legendary A-List celebrity to the up and coming TikTok fashion stars, the meaning of a fashion influencer is rapidly evolving,” the report says. “Through both traditional press coverage and social media, brands, celebrities and influencers are able to affect our purchasing habits more than ever.”
Love The Sales also named the four runner-ups among fashion influencers, which included Princess Kate Middleton, Harry Styles for his now iconic feather boa, pop star Dua Lipa for her sparkling gold dress at the BRIT Awards, and Lil Nas X for his yellow Gucci suits.