It’s hard to remember by now but, maybe a half-decade ago, collaborations were something that really only a few big streetwear and sneaker brands did. You certainly didn’t have collaboration on the scale of where we’re currently at.

Not that we’re complaining, necessarily. The spate of must-see team-ups currently saturating the market really are the cream of the crop, far outpacing everything that came before in terms of scope, scale, and quality.

That makes it tough to narrow down the list of 2022’s best collaborations but, here we are. These aren’t necessarily all of our favorite partnerships, mind you, but the ones that hit the hardest, that made the biggest splash, that meant the most to the terminally nebulous “culture.”

In other words, they gave us plenty to talk about and plenty more to buy — if it was even possible to purchase anything before everything sold out.

adidas x Gucci

Though the list is in no particular order, might as well start with perhaps the year’s biggest team-up.

adidas x Gucci was a massive multipart event that began with a runway shocker and stealth drops and ended with sporty activewear, ski gear, and jaw-dropping platform sneakers.

It encompassed cities, headlines, and celebrity wardrobes: the only way you could’ve missed adidas x Gucci is by living under a rock. That’d be a shame, because you’d have missed some truly fun stuff.

A worthy send-off for departing creative director Alessandro Michele, who also delivered several other huge Gucci team-ups…