; A study released by global apparel and accessories retailer Public Desire confirmed the top 10 most sought-after limited-edition collaborations by analyzing factors such as original price, resale value, price growth, accessibility, and public interest. A composite score was then calculated, and collaborations were ranked in descending order, reflecting their performance across the evaluated criteria. The collaborations that topped the list were: BMW x Louis Vuitton The Chunky Dunky Nike x Ben & Jerry’s Gucci x The North Face Skims x Dolce & Gabbana Nike x Off-White ‘The Ten’ Skims x The North Face Louis Vuitton x Supreme Mango x Victoria Beckham Nike x Tiffany Diesel x Savage x Fenty Out of the hundreds of collaborations that have been released onto the market in the past decade alone, how did these specific collections manage to stand out and succeed? In an age when it is becoming increasingly difficult to capture the attention of younger consumers in a saturated retail market, it is essential for retailers to figure out the winning recipe to win the collaboration game in 2025.  Why did these collaborations “win”? Retail and marketing experts Bethany Paris Ramsay, the founder of marketing and communications firm Honey B, Melissa Minkow, a director of retail strategy at CI&T and Nick Gray, founder of the Australian-based retail consultant agency I Got You, explained that the secret behind these collaborations’ success was a winning combination of ingredients like a solid product(s), authentic storytelling and novelty. “What struck me most about these collaborations isn’t necessarily the products themselves, but how they tapped into core human desires like status, creativity, and belonging,” Gray told Inside Retail. “At the same time, they aligned perfectly with emotional triggers like exclusivity, individuality, and cultural relevance.” Gray highlighted two specific collaborations in the survey, BMW x Louis Vuitton and The Chunky Dunky Nike x Ben & Jerry’s.  The BWM x Louis Vuitton collaboration wasn’t just about selling a luxury car or designer luggage, it was “about leveraging the universal appeal of status and prestige,” Gray explained.  He called the partnership a strategic “masterclass in turning distinction into demand. What’s genius is how it unites two luxury icons, one from the automotive [industry] and the other from fashion, to amplify their shared values of craftsmanship, exclusivity, and sophistication. In doing so, they introduced themselves to new affluent audiences while simultaneously elevating their collective prestige.” A simple concept with flawless execution, Gray observed.  The retail strategist went on to say that the Chunky Dunky collab between Nike and Ben & Jerry’s was “creative magic”. “It was playful, unexpected, and taps into behaviors like curiosity and self-expression. By blending fashion with pop culture and an ice cream-inspired design, they created a sense of joy and cultural participation that felt fresh and exciting. It’s the kind of collaboration that makes people smile, and more importantly, want to be part of the moment,” he said. What makes for a winning retail collaboration in 2025 But nailing a successful collaboration is anything but easy, Gray warned.  “If retailers want to thrive in the 2025 collab game, they can’t just slap two names together and hope for the best,” he shared. “Success will come from leading with emotion first, tapping into universal desires like individuality, belonging, and aspiration, and leaning heavily into what feels rare and exclusive.” Finding the sweet spot between exclusivity and accessibility is key. Retailers must keep these collections desirable without making them feel unattainable.  “If I had to bet on what will stand out this year, it would be collaborations built on strong emotional foundations such as aspiration, creativity and joy, wrapped in cultural relevance and innovation,” Gray said. “The collaboration must be relevant to what’s happening in the world around us to not only resonate but truly drive the right consumer needs and requirements. These are the ingredients that will cut through the noise, build loyalty, and truly resonate in an already overcrowded market.” Marketing agency founder Ramsay added retailers need to “think outside the box” to win the collaboration game in 2025. She pointed to ELF Cosmetics’ partnership with Liquid Death as an example.  While the collection was “weird”, Ramsay recalled, “it entertained both brands’ audiences and still sold out. There was a collectability and novelty factor and neither [brand] was afraid to be playful and bold with the rollout. They went for it and the end results delivered.” A tried-and-true formula, according to Ramsay, is to partner up with a brand in less obvious categories versus a directly adjacent one.  “When people have endless content being pushed at them in their feeds and in their inboxes, you have to find a way to stand out. Collaboration is a great way to experiment and color outside the lines of your brand standards and content offerings,” she emphasised.  At the end of the day, a collection is nothing without strong products to rely on, no matter how clever the marketing or campaign imagery is.  As Minkow observed, the collaborations that topped Public Desire’s survey are a testament to the fact that the product is what matters most.  “All of these collaborations were trendy, design-focused and spoke to the style their customers wanted to see. I really do feel it’s that simple,” she said. “If you build a product your consumers really want, the success [of the collection] is inevitable.”