Abstract

Nowadays collaborations or «collab», as they are defined by Generation Z, have become relevant part of brand activities in fashion, luxury and streetwear. Collaboration between luxury and streetwear brands is viewed as a kind of junction between heritage and innovation, old and young, history and avant-garde. The collaboration Louis Vuitton × Supreme has been considered the best-in-class and the most known example, enough to be considered as «founder» of this trendy phenomenon. The paper summarizing the strategic alliances and the strategic marketing alliances, focuses on describing the three concepts of collaboration, co-branding and limited editions, as main pillars for a successful collaboration. The research on the Louis Vuitton × Supreme co-branding strategy, considers the limited edition and its product as the tangible expression of this collaboration, focused on new market-segments and customers. By some findings, coming from qualitative and quantitative research, the paper summarizes specific attributes, benefits and perceptions – of consumers and non-consumers – about the collaborations. Specifically, the analysis on Louis Vuitton × Supreme collaboration explains the drivers affecting customer satisfaction of the limited edition. At the end, some suggestions can be traced to enable insightful understanding on the collaboration as a strategic tool of brand management to let flourish and reflect both value of co-brands