The best of the summer 2018 luxury collaborations

The arrival of summer 2018 means the debut of some great new (and unexpected) collaborations, capsule collections and limited editions. Like summer itself, this season’s offerings are colorful, fun and refreshing. Whether you’re looking to unleash your inner child with a homage to Hello Kitty or Minnie Mouse, gearing up for the latest capsule collection from ultra-cool eyeglass maker Gentle Monster, or looking to do some good with Clare V, Pierre Hardy or Christian Louboutin, you’ll find your summer crush somewhere in this mix. After all, strange bedfellows are the norm in summer, n’est-il pas si?

Collabs:

Pierre Hardy & Lemlem have partnered to create a limited-edition line of summery sandals, sliders, clutches and bucket bags. Model Liya Kebede founded Lemlem to showcase the work of female artisans in her native Ethiopia. Designer Hardy has crafted fun pieces finished in striped cotton from Lemlem — making it even easier to do good and look good, all at the same time.

& Other Stories x House of Hackney:  Summer wouldn’t be summer without a sea of florals and pretty dresses, and if you are in the market for a new floral frock, you’re in luck. Head straight for the new collaboration between & Other Stories x House of Hackney. The Swedish retailer and British lifestyle and interiors brand have joined forces to create some of the liveliest and prettiest prints you’ll find all summer. Even better? The collection of dresses, blouses, trousers, skirts, and accessories is made almost entirely of organic cotton and Tencel, a sustainable fabric created from recycled wood-based cellulose.

Furla x Hello Kitty: Are you a stylish adult who secretly loves Hello Kitty? If so, your time is now. You can rock everyone’s favorite Kitty with elegant elan with the new Furla x Hello Kitty. The collab is a mash-up of Furla’s polished design sensibility with Hello Kitty’s signature accents – including her trademark bow, fluttery lashes and whiskers.  The collab also features beautiful prints inspired by cherry blossoms, daisies, hibiscus and lotus flowers on Furla’s leather coin purses, cosmetic bags, card holders and of course, the brand’s iconic Metropolis cross-body bag.

Puma x Sophia Webster:  There’s no better way to step into summer than with the ultimate eye-catching shoes. Whether you’re looking for the perfect slides or bold sneakers, Puma x Sophia Webster has you covered.  For her second wave of products with Puma, Webster takes on the concept of “Princess PUMA” with hand- drawn prints, glitter, pleats, and hints of metallic.  The brand’s classic shoes are covered in kiwi, watermelon, and dragon fruit-inspired prints and are perfect for your next summer adventure.

Chiara Ferragni x Disney:  Chiara Ferragni has teamed up with Disney to create a limited edition capsule collection of footwear inspired by Minnie Mouse. The five-piece line includes mules and sneakers made with sparkly embellishments in Italy that we are sure Minnie herself would adore. We particularly love the chic bow mules ($469.95) in the perfect shade of pink – Minnie’s iconic bow in clear sparkling gems makes these instant eye catchers.

Uniqlo x Tomas Maier: the Bottega Veneta creative director and the fast-fashion retailer have teamed up for a one-time-only collection for this summer: 15 pieces for men and 36 for women, ranging from $9.90 (for bathing suit separates) to $99.90 (for a cashmere hoodie). The focus is on “escape” and “time off,” with a commitment to top-quality fabrics. We’re in.

TOMS x Clare V:  The one-for-one shoe company TOMS has tapped Clare V, an LA-based brand known for fusing French flare and Cali chill into handbags, jewelry, and other accessories for TOMS x Clare V.  The collab features 8 shoe styles, from canvas sneakers to suede slide-ons, with prices ranging from $60 to $108. In true TOMS fashion, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Downtown Women’s Center, a nonprofit organization that helps formerly homeless women get back on their feet.

Balmain x Net-A-Porter:  Olivier Rousteing has officially created the perfect wardrobe to pack the next time you head to Cannes or Saint-Tropez with the new collab Balmain x Net-A-Porter.  The collection contains all the necessary pieces required to go from day to evening in pure glamour: from the logo-ed one piece swimsuit to a light jacket made to top a jumpsuit, skirt or pant, everything is immaculately white and decorated with gold buttons. Rounding out the line are dresses and tops with Breton stripes or sequins, and accessories. So chic.

The Nike x Kim Jones and Nike x Off-White collaborations will both be available on Nike.com starting June 7. Jones is the new artistic director of Dior Homme, and one of the most in-demand designers on the planet. His debut show for Dior is in June. But before that, he’s released another Nike collaboration – and, just in time for the World Cup, this one has a football skew. So does the brand’s collab with Virgil Abloh, founder of Off-White and the new creative director of Louis Vuitton Menswear.

Rimowa x Off-White: New Louis Vuitton Menswear creative director Virgil Abloh is the hardest-working man in fashion right now. In addition to the Nike collab and his first menswear show later this month, he’s also the vision behind a new collaboration with ribbed aluminum suitcase maker Rimowa (the brand is also part of the LV family). The transparent polycarbonate carry-on cases will make their official debut on the catwalk on June 20 in Paris. They’re sleek and super-cool, and we predict that they’ll be gone in 60 seconds.

OFF-WHITE x The Webster. To celebrate the opening of their new flagship store in Soho, Off-White has joined forces with The Webster, the multi-label specialty store started in Miami, for a summery capsule collection. It’s inspired by swinging Soho and its cult 1960s artists, like Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns. The collection, available now, includes men’s and women’s wear: mesh shorts, tees, sweatshirts, and fleece hoodies. The color story is tie-dyed yellow and green neon and candy-pink polka dots. The fun doesn’t come cheaply: the Exclusive Airbrush hoodie is $650. But it is SO cool, you probably won’t mind.

Miranda Kerr x Royal Albert China. Following the success of the supermodel’s past collaborations with Royal Albert, Miranda Kerr is back again with another – and this time around, it focuses on her love of nature. Peonies and butterflies adorn the Insta-worthy fine china pieces, which are set to drop into stores starting June 2018.

Gucci x Chateau Marmont. A clever new collaboration between the Italian design house and the celebrity hotel haven Chateau Marmont was the talk of Milan at the recent Gucci Cruise fashion show. The logo of the LA hotel – which has a history of dark glamour – was shown on “laundry” bags and sweatshirts alongside the silhouette of a devil. Save those for the darkest of summer nights when they hit stores in a few months.

Capsules and Limited Editions:

Gentle Monster’s 2018 capsule collection Once Upon a Future debuted at the eyewear brand’s flagship store located in Sinsa, Korea on June 8, and will soon be available globally. With Louis Vuitton now a 7% of the cool-kid spec brand, expect these to sell out in seconds flat.

Louis Vuitton Summer Trunks Collection:  If you’re a true LV fan, you know that occasionally the brand creates small capsule collections dedicated to reworking their most iconic bags.  This season’s Summer Trunk Collection is all about the brand’s emblematic trunk.  The Keepall, Neo Noe, Neverfull, Pochette Metis and Speedy bag/wallet styles have each been given the trompe l’oeil treatment, with impressions of the trunk’s corners, lozines and locks of vintage trunks animated onto pieces that come in either Damier Azur or Monogram Canvas.

Louboutin Manilacaba Tote:  For his latest World Cabas collaboration, Christian Louboutin has teamed up with local women artisans in the Philippines to create the colorful Manilacaba Tote ($1,590).  This intricately handwoven and brightly embroidered bag should definitely be on your summer splurge list.  The tote’s fabric and embroideries have been sourced in the Philippines and subsequently mounted in Italy with calfskin handles. Not only will you look bright and cheerful carrying this tote, but you will be doing good too – 10 percent of the profit will go to support the Great Women initiative, providing business training and mentoring programs in the Philippines.

Scandinavian brand Acne has just released a capsule collection of sportswear called Fotbollsklubb (“football club” in Swedish), inspired by ’60’s and ’70’s tracksuits. The color-blocking of the unisex collection mimics the uniforms of opposing teams.

Chanel Coco Beach:  Hitting Chanel stores this month is Coco Beach, a swimwear line designed by Karl Lagerfeld.  The swimwear capsule will include an assortment of bikini’s, beach cover ups, bags and espadrilles perfect for wherever you summer travels take you. The collection will only be available at selected Chanel boutiques in St. Tropez, Monaco, Cannes, Nice, Barcelona, Capri, Palm Beach and Honolulu.

Chanel Coco Neige:  It’s hard to believe we’re already thinking about winter, but here we are.  Launching in July will be Chanel’s newest collection, Coco Neige, a winter sports wear line.  The collection will include tweed trimmed down jackets, shearling boots and nylon ski pants. Margot Robbie will be the face of the ad campaign.  Winter is coming – and suddenly, we’re OK with that.

High jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels has debuted a limited-edition iteration of its iconic quatrefoil Alhambra clover motif. The new pieces channel the Moorish architectural style that was their original inspiration in deep hues of green and black, or white mother-of-pearl, both with yellow gold and white diamonds.

Finally, in a mad-crazy combination collaboration and limited edition Lollapalooza, Barneys will roll out ThedropLA@barneys at its Beverly Hills flagship store on Wilshire Boulevard. On June 2-3, the store will be featuring more than 90 limited-edition, L.A.-inspired collab pieces, including a Tupac x 424 hoodie, Ksubi cropped denim jacket, Spinelli Kilcollin rings designed in collaboration with Emily Ratajkowski, and white suede Maison Margiela Western boots. Some brand installations that will remain in the Beverly Hills store through June 10. Part of Fred’s restaurant on the fifth floor will be transformed into a “butterfly bar” containing an array of nature-inspired fine jewelry and over 500 live butterflies.

There you have it: fun in the sun, surf and shade awaits! Act now, as these collaborations and limited editions, like the joys of summer, are seriously sweet – and they won’t last forever.