Prabal Gurung, Resort/pre-summer 2017

There was a time when a retailer launched a limited edition collection with a big name designer, advertised it then watched it (hopefully) sell out.

But this is a new age and social media is where it’s at so the process of letting people know about your hot new collaboration is so much more complicated. The first step is letting people know it will happen, which is where news stories and blog posts like this come in.

Plus size specialist Lane Bryant revealed yesterday that it’s linking up with Prabal Gurung next March for a limited edition Prabal Gurung Exclusively for Lane Bryant label.

It’ll be Lane Bryamt’s fifth collaboration after its deals with Christian Siriano, Lela Rose, Sophie Theallet and Isabel Toledo. So far, so straightforward.

But this time it’s different because, for the first time, the company will document the process from the design studio until the time it merchandises in-store through a series of ‘taped’ webisodes that will be available on all Lane Bryant social media.

It’s a big move for the retailer, which has previously Tweeted, Instagrammed, and Facebooked its designer link-ups like crazy but hasn’t shown the ‘insider view’ in quite such depth.

It’s a sign of the times of course. Designer collabs are hardly the rarity they once were and buzz, these days, is created not just by the fact of their existence but by an ‘insider’ insight into the creative and practical process of turning designer inspiration into affordable fashion.