The art of unlikely pairings represent a pool of boundless promise.

Words by Sara Rivera

The world is brimming with surprises, and some of the most delightful ones come from unlikely partnerships, and we’re not talking about she’s everything and he’s just Ken. 

One odd couple that always fascinates me can be found leisurely floating in the River Nile: the crocodile and the plover, or what I like to call the Balmain and H&M of nature. They form the perfect, imperfect pair, showcasing mutualism at its finest. Plover birds score a delicious free feast by snacking on leftovers stuck between a crocodile's teeth, creating a win-win situation where the birds get a good meal and the crocodile scores a dentist appointment.  Call it intelligent design, chance encounters, happy accidents, or more appropriately, a high-concept business strategy, the art of unlikely collaborations represents a pool of boundless promise.

Stepping away from the individual-genius mindset fueled by exceptionalism and perpetuated by the aspirations of a free market, collaborations aim to redefine our perception of creatives and the industry as a whole. Brands that have long been pitted against each other, driven to produce more and more (but not always better) are energized and incentivized to cooperate and collaborate. 

The days of believing that "originality thrives in seclusion" are behind us. We find ourselves in the era of learning from each other and with each other, where the special, the truly exceptional, comes from working with someone else, or to make it more exciting, working with someone who is not like you.

Summoning the interest of a haughty and pudgy market hungry for the next big thing is not easy. In an age where attention spans are as short as a TikTok video, there is nothing more compelling than two of the least likely entities working together to grab your notice. Just ask Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart. However, this article would be incomplete, almost fallacious, without mentioning Virgil Abloh's collaboration with IKEA.

Culturally, there is no one quite like the late American polymath and master curator, Abloh. But when you bring him together with the Swedish multinational conglomerate IKEA, something truly phenomenal emerges. The doormat, made of green turf, boldly bearing the words "WET GRASS," epitomizes Abloh's curiosity and his unique 'Personal Design Language.' There is something undeniably sensational about how Abloh embraced IKEA's aesthetic of Scandinavian style, twisted its arm and said we’re going to make something so absurd, it feels right, and even genius, because that’s just who he was. 

Smeg and Dolce & Gabbana’s ‘Sicily is my love’ is a marriage of artistry founded on mutual respect. Designed by Matteo Bazzicalupo and Raffaella Mangiarotti, the collaboration brings Italian craftsmanship to center stage. The collaboration showcases a collection of kitchen appliances adorned with intricate and vibrant hand-painted designs inspired by traditional Sicilian motifs. These designs feature colorful fruits, floral patterns, and scenes depicting the beauty and richness of Sicilian culture. Each piece is meticulously crafted to bring a touch of luxury and elegance to the kitchen space. It represents a successful synergy between two iconic Italian brands, combining Dolce & Gabbana's artistic vision and style with Smeg's craftsmanship and expertise in appliance manufacturing.

When entities from different contexts come together, they challenge each other's assumptions and foster new and innovative approaches to problems. In what universe does a partnership between Levi's and Google make sense? Well, it's actually this universe, and here's why. Unlikely collaborations represent the pursuit of new frontiers, venturing beyond the known and pushing boundaries. It becomes a playground for creatives and a lucrative practice that more brands need the courage to explore. 

However, let's be honest, not all unlikely collaborations are created equal; most simply lack coherence or confidence. Unlikely collaborations fail for various reasons, such as misalignment of brand values, target audiences, or creative direction. These failures provide valuable lessons about the importance of a strong and intentional brand identity from the outset. Knowing who you are inside and out equips you with the understanding of what you’re capable of as a brand and how you can expand these capabilities. Because when Unlikely Partnerships do succeed, they can be truly transformative, for your brand, the people involved, and for the broader culture. 

Unlikely collaborations have, in previous years, conceptually elevated how we, as consumers, perceive and value a vision. A brand is no longer solely defined by what it sells and its current identity; it extends to who it can become and the meaningful representations it can embody. So the next time you're considering a collaboration, don't shy away from the unlikely. Instead, embrace the unexpected and see where it takes you.