Collaboration Highlights: SKIMS × Cavalli and On × Loewe

Introduction

This report is a double-click into two of the standout collaborations we highlighted in this week’s Exploding Retail newsletter. While the newsletter touched on the cultural momentum of collabs, here we use Particl’s data to unpack how these specific partnerships performed in practice.

We also partnered with Oren John — The Internet’s Creative Director and founder of Valuable Studios — to frame the cultural context. Oren points out that the market is saturated with collabs across every category, from soda to sneakers, but the real question is: which of these actually work? With Particl data, we can look beyond the hype to see where inventory sold through quickly, which products created halo effects, and how the strategies differed.

• SKIMS × Roberto Cavalli drove a luxury swimwear sellout that fueled brand-wide attention and demand.
• On × Loewe paired performance with luxury to deliver premium-priced products that sold down fast across global markets.

Both show how collaborations, when executed strategically, can be more than fleeting cultural moments. They can become commercial engines.

SKIMS × Roberto Cavalli

The July launch of SKIMS × Roberto Cavalli was one of the fastest-moving swimwear collabs of 2025. Inventory for the hero Fagianella print triangle bikini top collapsed from nearly 1,800 units to fewer than 40 in under a month.

Strategic Context

The Cavalli collaboration succeeded by combining luxury heritage with SKIMS’ scale and distribution. Kim Kardashian personally reached out to Cavalli creative director Fausto Puglisi to bring the partnership to life, and the results were immediate.

• Sellout dynamics: Products disappeared within weeks, with resale chatter and consumer calls for restocks amplifying the hype.
• Halo effect: SKIMS’ swimwear sales spiked across non-collab lines, showing how luxury tie-ins can pull new shoppers into the brand.
• Cultural resonance: The launch bridged high fashion and accessible price points, creating demand far beyond SKIMS’ existing base.

This was not just a capsule sellout, but a traffic driver and brand expander.

On × Loewe

The On × Loewe collaboration reinforced both brands as market leaders at the intersection of luxury and performance. Products like the Cloudventure Loewe 2 and Cloudtilt sold through rapidly, with sell-through rates above 65–80 percent despite premium pricing.

Strategic Context

The collaboration was timed with On’s record Q1 2025 results: 726.6M CHF in net sales, up 43 percent YoY, with apparel revenue up 93 percent. The Loewe tie-in was not just a design statement but a growth driver.

• Cross-pollination of audiences: Search interest for On rose 50 percent in Q1, while Loewe jumped 38 percent, pushing both into Lyst’s top rankings.
• Premium positioning: Cloudtilt models at $590 sold thousands of pairs, generating more than $1.3M in revenue each for men’s and women’s variants.
• Cultural capital: The “Artistic Movement Campaign” leaned on performance art, digital storytelling, and pop-ups to frame the collab as both luxury and technical.

Reviews highlighted urban versatility, recycled materials, and bold colorways, making the products appealing to both performance-driven and style-conscious consumers.

Key Takeaways

These two collaborations illustrate different but equally effective playbooks:

1. Leverage luxury halo effects: SKIMS showed how a luxury tie-in can spike sales not only for the collab capsule but for core categories as well.
2. Drive premium sell-through: On demonstrated that limited-edition luxury-performance products can achieve high sell-through even at $500–$600 price points.
3. Use cultural storytelling strategically: Both collabs fused performance with culture, proving that campaigns rooted in artistry and exclusivity resonate globally.

Collaborations are not just for headlines. When executed with data-backed precision, they become repeatable growth levers.

Sources

• On — First Quarter 2025 Results
• Marie Claire — Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS x Roberto Cavalli Collab
• Pulse Advertising — SKIMS Announces Cavalli Swimwear Collaboration
• Parade — Calls Mount for Restock After SKIMS Drop Vanishes
• Hypebeast — Loewe × On Collaboration Cloudventure 2 Release Info
• Creative Moment — Loewe and On’s Collaboration Embraces Human Connection
• Glossy — Inside On’s Breakout Year: Luxury, Performance and Gen Z Appeal