In a world that promotes brand loyalty and exclusivity, luxury brands lead the pack that encourages selective buying. With freebies and royal treatment to keep customers coming back for more, the deal is made sweeter with every new acquisition from the same brand. But what to make of it when seemingly rival brands collaborate?

Three weeks ago, Ricardo Tisci of French luxury brand Givenchy posted a picture of their autumn/winter 2015 campaign, starring fellow haute couture royalty, and rival, Donatella Versace, who runs Italian fashion house Versace. The collaboration is not new — Karl Lagerfeld designed for Louis Vuitton’s Celebrating Monogram.

When asked about it, Donatella responded saying, “I believe in breaking rules.” And it looks like there are no more rules when it comes to collaborations for luxury brands.

Something special The main reason why luxury brands would collaborate is because it is a win-win situation for both. The increased publicity, thanks to the general curiosity over a joint venture, will benefit both brands, and possibly result in a popular product. But this isn’t limited to a single industry — brands have been seeking out partners in related fields as well.

For example, watch brand Breitling and car maker Bentley have had a long-standing tie-up that recently completed 10 years. It was marked with a special edition of three chronograph timepieces. For the average (male) luxury consumer who appreciates the automotive skills of the Bentley brand, the Breitling watch becomes an introduction into the world of handmade Swiss mechanical watches.

Similarly, for a connoisseur of fine watch-making who appreciates fine cars, this Breitling watch will have a special draw, as well as a soft spot for the Bentley brand. Both brands have clearly benefited from this collaboration, which would explain the decade-long stint together.

An appropriate fit Luxury fashion brand Chanel recently announced an alliance with the Ritz Paris, to open a spa, or ‘beauty destination’ that was inspired by the brand’s skincare line. Coincidentally, it was also announced that a Coco Chanel suite would open at the hotel, named after the brand’s founder who lived there for 34 years.

While fans of the luxury brand would flock to the Ritz Paris, choosing it above all other five-star options in Paris, guests of the Ritz too would find themselves visiting the in-house spa — what could be a more appropriate fit, benefiting both luxury brands equally!

Hospitality collaborations are nothing new, however. Many brands have tested the waters with a specially-curated suite in a star hotel, with similar agendas to benefit both parties.

Bentley opened a branded suite at the St Regis in New York in 2012 and in Istanbul earlier this year. The auto brand extended its hand-crafted luxury to a hotel suite that’s sure to impress fans of both the car and of the hotel.

Great marketing strategy French fashion behemoth Louis Vuitton tied up with BMW to create a line of carbon fibre luggage designed specially to fit BMW’s new i8 hybrid sports car.

All the four exclusive pieces feature LV’s trademark Damier pattern and the carbon fibre was the same that BMW used in the hybrid sports car.

The result was the extension of automotive preference to a more personal object, such as luggage, and both brands made an impact with buyers and observers alike.

Automotive brands are famed for their luxury fashion brand collaborations, with predecessors who set the trend, including Tod’s and Ferrari’s special driver shoes; Hérmes designing interiors for a Bugatti, and many more.

The key lies in increasing the exclusivity quotient as these brands become more accessible to the average person, thanks to social media and the internet.

For fashion brands that need sales numbers to increase without affecting their elitist sheen, these special edition or limited edition products in collaboration with equally exclusive brands are a great marketing strategy.

For brands like hotels and automotives, it is more about giving their customers something unexpected to keep them coming back for more.

The end result is that both brands benefit, as does the luxury consumer who is always on the look out for more.

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