On the surface, it might seem surprising that H&M would score a collaboration with Rei Kawakubo’s Comme des Garçons, but that would overlook Kawakubo’s illustrious history as a collaborator and democratizer of fashion. While Comme des Garçons is often thought of in terms of the brand’s most avant-garde pieces, Kawakubo has built a meticulously segmented array of diffusion labels and ongoing collaborations that have offered an in to the Comme des Garçons universe. So, really, a collaboration with one of the most widely-available fast fashion retailers kind of makes sense for Comme des Garçons, all things considered.

Unlike the Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney collaborations that predated Comme des Garçons x H&M, Kawakubo complemented the womenswear offering with menswear. The line of affordable pieces offered a snapshot of Comme des Garçons’ aesthetic and staples, with trompe l’oeil skirts, belted and layered jackets, as well as boiled wool pieces with curious silhouettes, and countless lightweight polka dot shirts.

While the response was slightly less frenzied than that which welcomed Karl Lagerfeld x H&M, pieces immediately found their way to eBay and stand as a prelude to Comme des Garçons’ many collaborations throughout the 2010s.

While H&M had already established its collaborations as an annual event by the 2010s, it was the Versace x H&M collaboration that marked the beginning of a half-decade run of collaborations that shifted the fast fashion landscape.

As with the Comme des Garçons collaboration, Versace presented takes on some of the Milanese house’s greatest hits. “It’s the essence of Versace,” said Donatella Versace about the collection before the release, making reference to a bright color palette, gold accents, leather and Versace’s iconic Greek key.

Predictably, the collection was a commercial success—Versace remains one of the most sought-after brands and H&M’s ability to bring it to the masses was unmatched. More importantly, though, it illustrated H&M’s ability to leverage its designer collaborations for industry co-signs: in the lead up to the launch, Vogue Nippon editor Anna Dello Russo wore the studded leather dress at Paris Fashion Week, in October of 2011, while Kanye West sported the printed bomber jacket while performing at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. The latter is particularly interesting in that, at the time, Kanye West was in the midst of the Watch The Throne Tour and, arguably, near the height of his popularity. He was rapping about Margiela and Givenchy, while working directly with Riccardo Tisci—yet, there he was, wearing H&M.

Almost as soon as Versace x H&M had sold out, the Swedish retailer announced a forthcoming collaboration with another Milanese label: Marni. Marni is a curious label for Milan—it’s not quite as commercial as Versace or Dolce & Gabbana, but those that love the brand, really love it. So, that H&M would collaborate with Marni after Versace is curious, but it speaks to H&M’s goal of entrenching itself with the fashion crowd.

The Marni collaboration was a bit smaller than those that preceded it, but like Versace and Comme des Garçons, the pieces made for a comprehensive overview of the Marni aesthetic. The menswear featured simple silhouettes that played with color-blocking and fabrics, while the womenswear was a bit more eclectic, in typical Marni fashion.

By no means was the collection as hyped as the Versace, Comme des Garçons, Lagerfeld or Lanvin ones that preceded it; nor was it chock full of sure-fire hits. What it was, though, was consistent, smart and just playful enough to be unmistakably Marni. So while it may not have been as big a hit as other H&M collaborations, it did get the fashion world buzzing.

If nothing else, it was an indicator that H&M was willing to be more playful—and more experimental—in selecting partners for its collaboration series. Marni is probably the least-well-known name on this list, so the choice to leverage such a marquee project with a brand like Marni makes for an interesting spot within the larger H&M designer collaboration series.

Before Raf Simons or even Helmut Lang were revisiting their hallowed archives to rerelease classic pieces for the masses, Maison Margiela was… with H&M, no less. Maison Margiela is a curious brand—from being shrouded in mystery to the label’s commitment to the Replica concept that sees high-fashion, artisanal takes on run-of-the-mill classics. Revisiting some of the brand’s greatest hits with a fast fashion retailer was certainly a curious choice.

Margiela envisioned turning some of the brand’s most sought-after archival pieces into “modern classics.” While that might not be something everybody agrees with, there’s no denying that the 30-piece menswear collection did offer a number of Margiela’s greatest hits at much more affordable prices: hand-painted boots, the iconic leather jacket made of belts, asymmetric and mismatched jackets, and, of course, reversed and painted jeans.

The Margiela purists likely scoff at the collection, but theoretically, it’s in-line with Margiela’s penchant for replicating existing designs with the slightest modifications—and with information on the tag about the original Margiela design. For H&M, it was another hyped collaboration that drew an A-list crowd to the launch—including Kanye West, once again wearing H&M.

While an Alexander Wang x H&M collaboration may not make waves in 2020, it was a big deal in 2014. This was around the time when rappers like Kanye West and A$AP Rocky were wearing Wang and name dropping the New York designer in songs. The brand’s scoop neck, relaxed fit T-shirts were the T-shirt of its time.

As one would expect from Alexander Wang, the collection was made up almost exclusively of black cotton, leather and neoprene goods—though the reflective puffer jacket, one of the few pieces to break from black, was arguably the most memorable piece from the collection. From T-shirts to hoodies to gym bags, they featured prominent Alexander Wang or “AW” branding. Drawing inspiration from physical activity, Wang introduced a range of accessories that included the aforementioned gym bags, but also water bottles, boxing gloves, quick dry socks, goggles, a yoga mat and a whistle.

Compared to some of the other collaborations H&M undertook, the Wang one felt like it had a tightly focused direction, rather than just being an overview of the designer’s greatest hits and tell-tale aesthetic look. With a blowout runway show with a guest performance (an Alexander Wang signature), this collaboration felt like a truly accessible take on a then-hyper trending brand.

Not to minimize the collaborations that came before it, but none of them better exemplify just how big an event H&M’s designer collaborations had become by the middle of the 2010s than the 2015 collaboration with Balmain.

Consider, for a second what Balmain stands for: the height of French fashion’s opulence. Also consider that in 2015, Balmain was among the hottest high-end brands in the world, thanks to designer Olivier Rousteing’s budding friendship and quasi-partnership with Kim Kardashian and—to a lesser extent—Kanye West (him, again!).

Like every other H&M collaboration, the massive 109-piece collection riffed on Rousteing’s hallmarks at Balmain, including his ability to bring inarguable starpower to the Parisian house. The marketing for the collection featured Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, who also walked the official catwalk for the show in New York.

Despite the gap between Balmain and H&M’s prices, the collaboration didn’t look like a significantly diluted version of Balmain’s offering. The ostentatious luxury was still present, as were Rousteing’s sharp lines, biker jeans and leather jackets. Combined with Balmain’s standing at the time, it’s no surprise that the collection launched with massive lineups and an almost-instant sell out.

Conversely, H&M’s 2016 Fall/Winter 2016 collaboration with Kenzo largely signalled the end of H&M’s string of successes.

Under Carol Lim and Humberto Leon’s creative direction, Kenzo had, by 2016, entrenched itself as a purveyor of playful prints, with a number of colorful, graphic-heavy collections. The 2016 collaboration with H&M not only built upon that, but it took it to another level, with colorful animal prints, florals, and reversible jackets.

Despite Kenzo’s popularity, the collection didn’t inspire the same frenzy as Balmain, Margiela, Wang or Versace before it. Perhaps the problem was that Kenzo was already considered to be accessible in terms of high-end designer brands, or that the bright, printed goods didn’t have the premium look that other designer H&M collaborations had. Or, perhaps H&M’s success with the designer gambit had simply run its course, with customers increasingly aware of the repercussions that shopping at fast fashion stores entailed.

Since the Kenzo x H&M launch, the Swedish retailer has unveiled other designer collaborations—like Moschino, in 2018—but they haven’t been able to replicate the run these collabs had in the early-to-mid 2010s.