To say that the behavior around last year's Balmain x H&M collaboration was bananas would be an understatement (near death experiences, anyone?). To describe what's already going on with this year's Kenzo x H&M collaboration, a collection that isn't even out yet, is beyond the scope of the English language.
Sure, last year's Balmain collaborative pieces sold for crazy prices on the secondary market—but that was after the collection was released. This year, Kenzo x H&M pieces are already selling on eBay for upwards of 700 percent of their retail value, and not a single stitch of the collection has yet to appear in stores.
Basically, what that means is there's now a fashion collab futures market. Move over corn and pork bellies, limited-edition clothing is the new high-risk/high-yield kid in town. Some examples of this craziness include a tiger-patterned faux-fur coat that will cost £200 when it hits shelves (however briefly). Currently it's selling on eBay for £730. Or there's this Kenzo x H&M short dress selling for £650. It will legitimately retail for £242.
Keep in mind: Though this is a special collection, it's still mass-produced clothing. And it's selling (before it even comes out!) for nearly what actual, highly-crafted Kenzo pieces go for. Hype is literally the most expensive thing manufactured into these clothes. See? Defies the English language.
