Retailers raise fashion stakes with exclusive designer collaborations Jean genius: JBrand models in Paddington with chief executive Jeff Rudes. It's the age of fashion democracy: luxury design at affordable prices. Ten years after Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld produced a collection for Swedish mass retailer H&M, high-end designer collaborations are no longer a trend but essential weapons in the fast fashion war. "They're a direct extension of the 'catwalk to store' strategy popularised by mid-market European brands like Zara and H&M," said Nerida Jenkins from retail marketing consultants Retail Oasis. Collaborations lift the velvet rope on the elite fashion club, providing access to consumers who aspire up. The JBrand label sells over 2 million pairs of jeans a year and has a celebrity client roster that includes US Vogue editor Anna Wintour and the Duchess of Cambridge. The company pioneered designer partnerships in denim, working with New York design duo Proenza Schouler and Britain's Christopher Kane and Hussein Chalayan. "I began collaborating when I needed to find new ways to stay in front of the press," JBrand chief executive Jeff Rudes said. The celebrity story was getting tired and by working with emerging high-end talent we were able to create renewed attention for the brand which ultimately sold more of our core product. A pair of J Brand jeans costs about $US200 but with a designer signature on the label they can fetch up to $US2600. "These ventures predominantly benefit the customer because the distribution is limited edition," Mr Rudes said. They're not revenue-generating projects. It's about the media noise which is 1000 times greater than the units sold. Over-hype has become a core strategy in marketing mass-fashion with retailers measuring a collaboration's success on buzz rather than sales. Stars like Beyonce, who designed swimwear for H&M, and Rihanna, who works with Britain's River Island, lure more shoppers through the doors. "It's about how consumers perceive the brand," Ms Jenkins said. The collaboration collections never outperform the store's main lines but they're unsurpassed at bringing the 'got to have it' factor. It's an approach that's worked well for department store Target which has partnered with Zac Posen, Roberto Cavalli and Stella McCartney on womenswear and Dita Von Teese on intimate apparel. "The Designers for Target collections appeal to shoppers who may not have shopped at Target previously," said Target's Susanne Greening-Summers. Last year Target expanded into childrenswear, collaborating on a range of tutus designed by Collette Dinnigan and casual clothes from cult label Ksubi. Charging celebrities with the task of designing clothes has led to some colossal failures. Lindsay Lohan crashed for France's Emanuel Ungaro, David Beckham's six-pack could not shift shirts for H&M and Sarah Jessica Parker's "Bitten" line didn't stack up to it's high-style promise. "We stick to partnerships within the fashion world," Mr Rudes said. The most effective collaborations are when like meets like. Australian designers are taking advantage of the boom. Dion Lee produced a diffusion line for Cue and Sass & Bide has lent its magic to thongs for Havianna and nail polish shades for Bloom Cosmetics. Zimmermann is launching a range of board shorts for luxury e-tailer Net-a-Porter.