You've probably witnessed the crowd of frenzied shoppers at H&M whenever the store launches its big-name designer tie-ups.

Or read about how Mulberry has named a bag after songstress du jour Lana Del Rey.

And way back in the day, Parisian couturier and Coco Chanel's contemporary Elsa Schiaparelli worked with Surrealist artists such as Salvador Dali on her more fantastical designs.

Now, Singapore's indie retailers and designers have also cottoned on to the collaboration bug, churning out limited-edition products and exclusive tie-ups for discerning shoppers here.

And why not? They may not have the superstar appeal of blockbuster brands, but cross-collaborations nevertheless create a stir among fashion fans on the prowl for the next must-buy.

One such home-grown project has even found plenty of fans abroad. Saturday, a contemporary-casual brand by veteran Singaporean designer Nic Wong and assistant designer Daniel Loh, recently teamed up with Vice & Vanity, an accessories house helmed by Aaron Kao and Vivi Lim, on a capsule range of upbeat bracelets, necklaces and minimalist leather pouches.

The Saturday x Vice & Vanity line, inspired by the apparel brand's Spring/Summer 2012 collection, was snapped up by buyers from London store Darkroom, New York boutique Pixie Market and San Diego's Collective Habit at fashion trade shows held in Paris and Las Vegas last year.

Mr Wong, who also designs Nicholas, a seven-year-old womenswear label aimed at working professionals, explained:

"Collaborations create brand awareness and expand our reach to a bigger audience. They also offer a varied dimension in terms of the products that we are able to offer, showcasing what the brand can do besides just clothing."

The limited-edition designs were so popular that all the bracelets and necklaces, which featured craft work like crochet and beading, were sold out even before they had the chance to be available here.

However, leather pouches, bags and accessories will be available at Isetan Scotts later this month.

As for fashion boutique Nana & Bird, which opened in September last year, collaborating with lesser-known artists and designers also allows it to be an incubator for up-and-coming talents.

So far, the Tiong Bahru estate store has teamed up with local illustrator Celeste Anning on organic tote bags, which sold out within a week of its launch, and roped in local artist Dawn Ng to create an installation for the store later this year.

Ms Ng is best known for Walter, her gigantic inflatable rabbit sculpture that has popped up at SAM at 8 Queen Street and other locations in Singapore.

Next up: The launch of an exclusive collection with home-grown fashion label Aijek.

"Collaborating with like-minded talents is inspiring and very rewarding for us," said Chiewling Tan, owner of Nana & Bird.

"But when we search for collaborators, we will always ask ourselves: 'Do we think we can wear their items, do we love their designs and art?' "

While international retail bigwigs turn to one-off collaborations as a means to generate massive sales - "high-low" designer collections churned out by mass retailers such as Target and H&M are often sold out within hours of their launch - most retailers here seem to be on a lookout for alliances to create a fresh retail experience, and to deliver a compelling narrative to shoppers about the ethos of their business.

"We have never once thought about a collaboration just to generate buzz or drive sales.

A collaboration is a way to discover how to create something even more amazing, and to allow both parties to be part of a win-win situation," said Kate Tan, founder of online retailer Eriin.com.

The Asian label e-retailer has collaborated with young fashion photographers Fadli Rahman and Warren Wee on an exhibition which will be held during the site's first trunk show.

It will also be launching an exclusive jewellery range that sees home-grown apparel designer Weesuen team up with Saught.

The latter is a social enterprise that creates products from scrap metal collected from landmines and deactivated weapons, with profits going towards mine-clearing operations.

For multi-label fashion store Front Row, the process of discovering a new collaborator is incredibly organic - as opposed to being on a constant search for lucrative brand associations.

One of its buyers chanced upon the store's latest partner, men's dress shoe brand Ed Et Al, when she was at Jalan Kilang cafe, Pause.

The footwear label's showroom shared the same space as the cafe, and was then focused solely on bespoke designs by shoemaker Edwin Neo.

The debut of Ed Et Al's ready-to-wear range at Front Row soon followed earlier this year.

"We love that there is a real relationship between both parties from start to finish.

Fusing ideas together makes the end-product special and more complex than if it were part of a solo effort," said Chin Chua, general manager of Front Row.

While keeping the tills ringing may not be the main goal of local fashion collaborators, one thing's for sure, it doesn't hurt if a hit tie-up leads to shoppers flocking to a store, and splurging on some exclusive garb.

As Ms Chua admitted: "Most times, we do it simply because it's fun, interesting and we like the collaborative processes. But if cross-collaborations create great stories that result in spiked sales and awareness - why not."

TAKING OFF: For boutique Nana & Bird (above), working with lesser-known artists and designers also allows it to be an incubator for new talent. Its tie-up with illustrator Celeste Anning on organic tote bags (left), which retails at $35, saw a sellout of the bags within a week of its launch. It has since replenished stocks and now plans a new launch: An exclusive collection of clothes with home-grown fashion label Aijek with prices starting from $120 for a top and $300 for a party dress

PROGRESSIVE PAIRINGS: Prices for Saturday Spring/Summer 2012 (above) start from $69 for a tank top to $299 for an elaborate dress, while prices for its tie-up Saturday x V&V’s accessories line start from $115 for a key pouch to $242 for a clutch. Asian label e-retailer Eriin.com will launch an exclusive jewellery range with apparel designer Weesuen and Saught, a social enterprise that fashions jewellery from scrap metal culled from landmines (above).

Limited-edition finds

If you're on the look-out for special-edition, collaborative products, why not support local talent and score oneof-a-kind merchandise with these creative tie-ups:

	Saturday and Vice & Vanity Home-grown accessories brand Vice & Vanity has been known for its vibrant and often chunky necklaces and jewellery. Now, it has teamed up with fellow home-grown brand Saturday - by Nic Wong, a fashion designer who champions geometric construction and climate-appropriate styles, on its first-ever range of leather pouches and clutches. The inspiration behind the accessory collection was in line with Saturday's Spring-Summer 2012 apparel: Utilitarian pieces that meld wearability with sleek design. Available from Isetan (Scotts) from late-April
	Ed Et Al at Front Row Edwin Neo, in-house shoemaker and designer for local men's dress shoes brand Ed Et Al, got his start as a shoe repairer before apprenticing under a master shoemaker in Budapest. He started crafting bespoke men's shoes upon his return and noticed that there were few choices for fine men's shoes in Singapore. Mr Neo and his business partner Edwin Koh then worked with multi-label boutique Front Row on an exclusive, ready-to-wear range of shoes. Designs for the collection, which debuted earlier this year, are priced at just $250 a pair - compared to a four-digit price tag for a bespoke design from the brand. Front Row then worked with the designer on a more "playful classic" range of tough Balmoral boots, fully brogued Oxfords and coloured loafers for its next collection. The new Ed Et Al collection for Front Row, #02-09 Raffles Hotel Arcade, will be available from May 3.
	Coda Co and Carte Postale It was a match made in cyberspace for Scotts Square fashion concept store Coda Co and design duo Carte Postale. Celine Tan, the store's director of brands, came across the designers when she was searching online for unique T-shirt designs for herself. She was Carte Postale's first customer from Singapore, and went on to commission the designers for an art piece, settee design and murals for the store when it was launched. Carte Postale then collaborated with Coda on limited-edition T-shirts exclusively for the store. The slim-cut men's designs are also available in sizes for children from age seven onwards. Available from Coda Co, #02-03 Scotts Square

This article was first published in The Business Times.