Streetwear Fashion Ludo

Collaborations between streetwear and luxury labels are a growing trend after the major transformation of the global sportswear market. These collaborations have paved the way to increase return on investment, maximize brand awareness and consideration, reach specific niche of customers, and tapping into the new demographics of the audience. As there is a transformation going on in the market, sportswear brands are focusing on inclusivity and individual representation - including the empowerment of women in male-dominated sports. Luxury brands like Fendi and Gucci, on the other hand, focus on targeting younger and trend-savvy demographics out of their general audience.

This ludo tracks brands such as Off-White, Dior, Balenciaga, Palace, and Supreme partnering with respective labels. It showcases the industry’s shift towards cross-cultural and inclusive aesthetics. Collaborations like Dior x Stussy (2020) and Louis Vuitton x Supreme (2017) display a combination of urban sensibility and exclusivity. The timeline also has other streetwear brands such as Anti Social Social Club and Fear of God, which rose to global recognition from having niche audiences, through partnerships with established brands such as Adidas and Nike.

Each collaboration showcases different societal trends. From sustainability and innovation (like Adidas and Prada (2022)) to hype culture (Dior with Air Jordan and Stussy (2020) elevating sportswear styles with luxury). At the same time, some collaborations like Undercover with Valentino (2019) redefined accessibility for sports and streetwear fans as well as luxury buyers. The cultural movements also include trend-driven strategies followed by collaborations like Gucci x The North Face (2020 and 2021) targeted for outdoor enthusiasts in the time of post-pandemic.

There are other collaborations that were done to revitalize the brand image. Burberry x Supreme (2022) happened to modernize the former’s heritage by connecting with the latter’s streetwear credibility to target a younger audience. Tie-ups like Fear of God x Nike (2018), with minimalistic and functional aesthetics, and Vetements x Champion (USA) (2016), with classic staples and edgy reinventions, were done to merge tradition and culture with innovation.

The first collaboration reported in this ludo was in 2016 between Vetements and Champion (USA). However, the year 2018 marks the most pivotal one due to the thought-provoking partnership between Nike and Off-White which dominated the high fashion and sneaker culture. The year 2021 featured the post-pandemic resurgence with consumers demanding bold and expressive items, which was evident in many collaborations. The years 2022, 2023, and 2024 showcased the large number of collaborations, followed by 2020.

Palace Skateboards had the highest number of collaborations—with Arc'teryx (2021), Calvin Klein (2022), Adidas (2015-2024) and Evisu (2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024). Next in line are Dior (KAWS (2018), Stussy (2020), and Jordan x Stussy (2020)) and A Bathing Ape (BAPE) (Undefeated (2018), The North Face (2018 and 2023), and Supreme (Late 90s to Early 2000s), with three collaborations.

In streetwear and sports brands, Levi's stands in the first place - AMBUSH (2022), Collina Strada (2022), eYe Comme des Garçons Junya Watanabe (2023), Ganni (2022), JJJJound (2024), Kenzo (2023), New Balance (2020), sacai (2024), Stussy (2023 and 2024), and Valentino (2021). Supreme - A Bathing Ape (BAPE) (Late 90s to Early 2000s), Burberry (2022 and 2023), KAWS (2018 and 2021), Louis Vuitton (2017, 2022, and 2024), Nike (2022), and Stone Island (2014-2017, 2019-2023) - comes in the next, followed by Stussy (Comme des Garçons (2020), Dior (2020), eYe JUNYA WATANABE MAN (2024), Martine Rose (2023), and Tekla (2023)) - and The North Face (A Bathing Ape (BAPE) (2018 and 2023), eYe Comme des Garçons Junya Watanabe (2009, 2011, 2017, and 2018), Gucci (2020 and 2021), KAWS (2022), and Undercover Jun Takahashi (2023 and 2024)).