The collab: Karl Lagerfeld for H&M
When: 2004
Why: Before he directed ice cream commercials and had his likeness emblazoned on soda cans, Karl Lagerfeld made a 30-piece collection (including a fragrance called “Liquid Karl…”) for H&M–the Swedish mega-retailer’s first high-end collab ever (oh, how many would follow). Despite the success of his collaboration (which sold out in just hours), Lagerfeld told German magazine Stern (via Vogue UK) that he would never again work with H&M, accusing the high street giant of “snobbery” and producing his designs in larger sizes than he had envisioned.