Creative collaborations are taking the fashion industry by storm these days! It’s almost like every week we see a new “collab” between brands and designers to build exclusive collections of blended aesthetics, or between brands and celebrities and influencers to promote and sell a new product. Collaborative projects, whether paid or unpaid, have always been a fundamental part of fashion. It is common for fashion professionals working collaboratively on editorial teams to go uncompensated for their work. Why has the industry normalized this? Because these projects are arguably what makes the fashion world go round. Creative collaborations are invaluable to the growth and development of fashion professionals for several reasons.

Build a Body of Work

Collaborations allow you to build a body of work, whether that’s through a shareable personal portfolio or online portfolio. You may be a new designer wishing to partner with other creatives on a visual project, or a micro-influencer seeking to connect with brands that you value to showcase in your lifestyle blog. Either way, agencies and sponsors love to see that you’re consistently producing new fresh work, and collaborations are the way to keep renewing, reinventing and pushing your creativity. In the process, you will meet new people and try new things. You’ll get hours of experience and practice. Style Nine to Five Founder, Christie Lohr, says “Every little bit of experience you’re gaining, whether you think it’s relevant or not to your ideal job, is leading you to where you’re supposed to be. Nothing is wasted time.” Over time, these projects will build your credibility and establish you.

Build a Team

As you collaborate with more and more brands and fellow creatives, you’ll begin to identify those who share your vision and whose strengths compliment your own. With your rolodex of creative directors, photographers, agencies, writers, makeup artists, graphic designers, and so on growing and growing, soon you’ll be able to create a team of collaborators whom you enjoy working with and trust. Down the line you may refer one another, grow in the industry and reach new heights together. While the pandemic has completely changed the way we work together, collaboration is still possible. Today, you can connect with people all around the world through our online communities and networks to collaborate in ways that were previously unheard of. Instagram is a great tool for connecting with people and brands. One easy way for online content creators to spark the conversation with a brand on Instagram is by featuring and tagging them in one of your posts – try it out! You can also use Instagram’s group chats to organize collaborative projects, and Slack is another useful tool for planning more elaborate projects and logistics.

Gain Visibility

With the power of social media today, a small collaboration can be seen by millions of people around the world in a short amount of time. The advantage of creative collaborations is that when each team member from the collaboration reposts the project on social media and credits the full creative team (Rule of thumb: always give credit!) it increases your collective reach. The goal is to get your work seen by potential clients, sponsors, agencies media outlets and future collaborators. You never know whose watching – your collaborative project could get picked up by a magazine or even cross someone’s desk who would like to give you an opportunity.

Collaborative skills are a must in this industry, like any other. Being a good collaborator means being a team-player, being communicative, open-minded, adaptable and highly organized. Working in a team setting with industry professionals from other disciplines is one of the best ways to broaden your skillset. Combining different perspectives also allows for innovative projects to emerge, so don’t be afraid to share your ideas. The importance of collaboration in this field of work cannot be understated.

Got an important interview coming up, but now sure how to prepare for it? Book an Interview Prep session with Style Nine to Five’s Christie Lohr today!

Anita Hosanna is a freelance fashion stylist and creative consultant with a love for fashion journalism and tech.