How and Why Collaborations Work
How do you do them? What makes for a successful collaboration?
This week, The Hundreds has collaborated with Warner Bros. Studios in commemoration of milestone anniversaries. We turn 20 years old this year. WB turns 100. We wanted to mark the occasion by working on something special and unprecedented together: A collaboration within a collaboration! The Hundreds imagined what would happen if classic WB IP like Tom & Jerry dressed as Batman and Superman. How would Lola Bunny work as Wonder Woman? It’s been a very fun project to work on and I think the results show.
At some point, The Hundreds got known for its collaborations as much as our design, branding, and storytelling. Over the years, we’ve collaborated with Disney, adidas, Pokémon, Billionaire Boys Club, Playboy Carti, and CryptoPunks. Collaborations are integral to streetwear’s foundation, maybe because streetwear itself is a collaboration of subcultures, fringe communities, and style genres. Somewhere deep within its alchemy is the awareness that there’s magic in open-mindedness, partnership, and synergy.
By now, most artists, brands, and businesses recognize the marketability of collaborations. The collaboration is a frothy stunt, a feed-interrupting headline. The consumer likes watching two names -- two worlds with their individual fandoms -- collide. And this has proven out from featured artists on songs to the Marvel universe, from Doritos X Taco Bell to Supreme and Louis Vuitton.
Philosophically, I believe collaborations are powerful because they add nuance to monolithic brands. They grant artists and companies the opportunity to wear a different hat and speak a different language (for example, in the case of The Hundreds X Warner Bros., we take a stab at playing with Bugs Bunny instead of Adam Bomb). As a result, we get to see a new side to their story, making for a more rounded, holistic picture. Plus, when two ideas merge, an original thought materializes out of thin air. The sum becomes greater than its parts. Collaborations champion relationship-building as the heart of the creative process.
Of all the branding and business questions I get asked these days, it seems like collaborations are top of mind. So, just for my paid MONOLOGUE subscribers, here are rapid-fire answers to two of your most common questions…