Cooling Off: Why Brand Collabs Aren’t As Cool As They Once Were
When the Greggs x Primark 11-piece collection dropped in 2022, the campaign was widely praised and lauded as peak Britain. It landed well because neither brand took itself seriously, and following the disaster of Brexit, the campaign came to represent the sorts of things big brands and institutions have historically wasted money and resources on. And the irony lay in the fact that, despite the British high street being effectively dead, it was two brands that revelled in peak irony that won.
New Balance x Ganni or Nike x Palace didn’t land as well because irony and nostalgia were both worn down to the nub; audiences have become bored and, frankly, fatigued by collab culture to the point that engagement on social media hasn’t translated into collections selling out within minutes of launch.
A decade ago, collaborations felt fresh and exciting for several reasons. We were still in the relatively early stages of streetwear, and brands were harnessing cultural capital by partnering with larger brands – think early Patta and Nike. Even brands such as Nike and The North Face recognised the benefits of collaborating with Supreme, solidifying their status as deeply embedded in streetwear.
In 2025, it felt as though we were stuck in a never-ending cycle of brand collabs, and much of that could be down to the fact that the campaigns themselves were enough to generate hype, even if sales didn’t affect the bottom line too broadly. If a campaign landed in your feed, it was successful enough to grab your attention in an age when algorithms are so unforgiving.
Climate change, war, fascism and the threat of AI are all very real global phenomena impacting society at macro and micro levels. Even for the most fashion-conscious individuals, there’s a deeper understanding that individualistic hyperconsumerism won’t combat existential feelings of uncertainty, loneliness and anxiety. Of course, not everyone feels these emotions, but for the majority, who are just trying to make ends meet and get through the day, many have experienced at least one of these three emotions at some point in their lives.
2026 won’t be the year brands move on from collaborations, but we may start to see a shift in the motivations behind them. Last year saw a big shift towards secondhand gifting, and increasingly, we’re seeing Gen Z and millennials look to vintage buying for a number of reasons. The cost of living has no doubt impacted spending, and priorities have shifted to the point where people are asking themselves whether they need the latest drop. Despite the resale market for trainers maturing and still growing, with projected value rising to $30 billion by 2030, profitability and ease of sale have shrunk since the pandemic. It’s no longer easy to flip a sale of the latest drop of trainers, and sellers can expect to hold onto products for much longer.
Vintage also represents authenticity and originality. If you’re able to find a rare gem on Vinted, Depop or eBay, then there’s an element of coolness that comes with that because of the exclusivity and effort that comes with finding an item. And this rising trend is certainly combating the idea that everything looks and feels the same.
The latest drop won’t satiate those deeper feelings, and although they may provide some temporary respite, Gen Z and millennials are searching for meaning and value in their daily experiences. Irony isn’t enough to captivate audiences anymore, and those strategies should be left to the meme pages that understand satire, because ultimately their objective isn’t to increase sales.