Fashion

The Best Fashion Collabs Of 2015

by Maxine Builder

Some of this year's most memorable moments in style arguably came from the much-hyped and highly anticipated fashion collaborations of 2015, with celebrities and musicians partnering up with some of the industry's most venerated brands, and traditionally haute couture designers working with fast fashion retailers. The year's best fashion collabs literally broke the Internet; several retail sites crashed because of the huge rush of traffic as soon as capsule collections went live, with many items selling out in minutes.

There's a reason fashionistas on a budget regularly work themselves into a frenzy over these high fashion collabs. They're a great opportunity for much-loved brands to get a shot of inspiration and renewed creativity from equally loved and stylish celebs. Fashion collabs also, ostensibly, democratize the industry, turning the often impenetrable world of high fashion into something that more humans can own and access, with items that ideally cost less than their counterparts.

But 2015 proved that the demand for fashion collabs can be as cut-throat as it is exciting, and even though it's sometimes necessary to pay out the nose or wait in day-long queues to get your hands on the goods, the designs seem to be worth the chaos. Here are nine collections that caused the biggest ruckus in 2015.

1. PUMA By Rihanna

Though Rihanna was named the new creative director of PUMA at the end of 2014, her first collection for the brand wasn't released until 2015. The signature item was the PUMA By Rihanna creeper, which sold out online in minutes when it launched in September. It's unlikely that the shoes will be restocked, but for those who want more of this collab, Rihanna will allegedly be showing at New York Fashion Week with the sneaker company.

2. Alexander Wang X The Weeknd

Alexander Wang and The Weeknd dropped their own collaboration in November called WANGXO. According to an interview with Hypebeast, the capsule collection came about after Wang and The Weeknd, né Abel, collaborated on #WANGXO bandanas at Coachella this year. Wang explained to Hypebeast that the clothes are meant to look good on the streets and on the stage; and The Weeknd has been spotted wearing some of the items in performance, like the now sold out Eden Sneaker.

3. Outdoor Voices X Man Repeller

This year, Leandra Medine of Man Repeller partnered with Outdoor Voices to release a set of stylish gym clothes. In addition to color-blocked navy leggings and sports bras, the OV x MR kit came with a chocolate bar, a tote bag, and a jump rope. Lena Dunham was spotted rocking the workout wear on a run through New York City, posting a paparazzi pic of herself on Instagram thanking Man Repeller and Outdoor Voices for "Extra Motivation." Unfortunately for those who want to get the look, the kit is now sold out.

4. Derek Lam X Athleta

Another high fashion workout collaboration came from Athleta and Derek Lam, dropping in September. The collection was a bit more expensive than the brand's usual workout wear, but it was well-worth it, full of athleisure staples like color-blocked tank tops and leather jogging shorts. The line may not have featured the most practical gym clothes, but they were definitely some of the most stylish of the season.

5. Uniqlo X Carine Roitfeld

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Carine Roitfeld's capsule collection with Uniqlo launched in October, making this French fashionista's effortlessly chic style available to the masses at a very affordable price. The collection was full of simple twists on wear-to-work classics, like a leather pencil skirt and playfully patterned black tights.

6. Anthropologie X Peter Som

One of Michelle Obama's favorite designers Peter Som partnered with Anthropologie to create a capsule collection for the company's Made In Kind Program. The line is inspired by New York City, according to a post on Anthropologie's Instagram account, and the pieces are all hopelessly romantic, featuring floral maxi dresses, and graphic, geometric jumpsuits.

7. Adidas Yeezy

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It seems like forever ago that Kanye West presented Yeezy Season 1 at New York Fashion Week, but it was only in February; though the items from that first collection didn't go on sale until October, after Kanye had already shown Yeezy Season 2 to slightly less fanfare. The most-coveted item from Kanye's collaboration with adidas was the Yeezy Boosts, which won "Shoe Of The Year" from Footwear News and was featured prominently in all of the Kardashians' Instagram photos this year.

8. Target X Lilly Pulitzer

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Target partnered with Lilly Pulitzer to create a monster collection that was made up of over 250 items, from a banana leaf-printed jumpsuit to a lounge chair and matching beach umbrella set. The only thing that got more attention than the adorably preppy collection itself was the chaos that ensued when it was released in April. Most of the items sold out online in a matter of minutes, then showed up on eBay at much higher retail values, leaving many frustrated Palm Beach fashionistas in its wake.

9. H&M X Balmain

No fashion collab was arguably as widely anticipated, loved, and critiqued this year than H&M x Balmain. The collection was teased for months, initially announced by Kendall Jenner at the Billboard Music Awards in May, alongside fellow model Jourdan Dunn and Balmain Creative Director Olivier Rousteing.

But the release didn't come until six months later in November, and the wait wasn't without its drama. Photos of the entire collection were leaked in October, and the collab sold out online in minutes. In a strange twist of fate, and a weird lesson in supply and demand, some of the H&M x Balmain pieces showed up on eBay for more than the price of actual Balmain-branded clothes.

If there's any lesson to be learned about this year's fashion collaborations, it's to be ready with your credit card as soon as they drop; otherwise you'll almost definitely miss out.