When A.P.C. announced its “INTERACTION” series—a slew or artist collaborations and miniature capsules with various creatives that inspire creative director Jean Touitou—in the beginning of this year, hopes were high considering its long history of successful collaborations ranging from Kanye West to Nike and Louis W. When the first partner, Kid Cudi, was unveiled, expectations soared, however the ensuing clothing was rather lackluster. Other collaborators including Brain Dead and Suzanne Koller proved more exciting, however the most recent edition—”INTERACTION 4”—knocked it out of the park.

Working alongside Montreal-based brand/creative studio/mood board JJJJound, the two launched a perfectly simple capsule featuring muted logo crewneck sweatshirts, a key-chain, light-wash and raw denim as well as denim totes and various other knick-knacks. Considering JJJJound founder—and former #BEENTRILL# member—Justin Saunders follows the same design ethos that guided Touitou to found A.P.C. over 30 years ago and is arguably his spiritual successor, the collaboration makes perfect sense. Beyond simply presenting a cohesive vision, the partnership helped introduce the wider world to a quickly developing brand that is producing incredibly plain, simple, well made clothes—exactly what made A.P.C. the international behemoth it is today.

Okay, we know—the Dior x Jordan is what everybody can’t seem to stop talking about. For a second, let’s table that, for a sneaker that divisive is in no way a contendor for this list. Rather, think of the bigger overall narrative from men’s artistic director Kim Jones’ recent Pre-Fall 2019 Dior Men’s show in Miami. While the Dior x Stüssy mania in no way rivals Jones’ Louis Vuitton x Supreme collaboration—which many argue finally broke the streetwear versus high-fashion barrier—what many fail to realize is that in reality the collaboration was not with Stüssy the brand, however with retired founder Shawn Stüssy himself. That in and of itself is a feat worth discussing.

If Hiroshi Fujiwara is as many say the “godfather” of Japaense streetwear, then Shawn Stüssy is no doubt his American equivalent. In the early 1980s, Shawn Stüssy began scrawling his now iconic signature (which he borrowed from his uncle Jan) on handmade surfboards. Quickly realizing the logo’s popularity, he began producing clothing featuring the insignia, and after partnering with Frank Sinatra Jr. (no relation to the singer), the Stüssy brand was born. Expansion occurred quickly, eventually opening a “chapter” store in New York, where a pre-Supreme James Jebbia was an early employee. Though the notion of streetwear was still in its infancy, Stüssy was already a household name, sold in department stores and building in roads in Japan. Then, in 1996, Shawn Stüssy retired, stepping down as president and selling the remainder of his shares to Sinatra Jr.

For 23 years, the founder was entirely uninvolved, preferring to focus on his high end surfboard business. That is until Kim Jones—himself a Stüssy obsessive who was an early adopter through his connection to legendary London-based importer Gimme5—convinced the 65-year-old retiree to return and rework his custom typeface specifically for Dior. Say what you will about the shoes or the collection, but convincing Stüssy himself to step back into the limelight is a feat that will not quickly be forgotten.

No list ranking collaborations would be complete without Supreme. Of course, the brand has made some doozies over the past few years, working with everyone from Louis Vuitton on a runway show to Fox Sports on a limited dirt bike. As far as 2019 is concerned, undoubtedly the most impressive partnership is with high-end furniture and textiles manufacturer Knoll. Best known for its authentically licensed designs from from famed architects, Supreme tapped the manufacturer to create a custom Wassily chair.

Originally designed by Hungarian born architect Marcel Breuer in 1925, the chair was one of his earliest works—however arguably his most famous. Based on a bicycle frame, the chair was directly inspired by the Dutch De Stijl movement and became emblematic of the Bauhaus design school, of which Breuer was a notable pupil. In a never before seen leopard pattern, the chair is equal parts iconic and abrasive, the perfect combination of classic Supreme shenanigans and unimpeachable design chops. If you know, you know.

2019 was a huge year for Asics. Still riding high off an on-going—and incredibly respected—collaboration with Kiko Kostadinov—the Japanese sneaker sneaker stalwart leaned hard into designer collaborations, dropping a number of high-profile sneakers with notable figures in the industry. While stateside the highly limited Awake NY Gel-Kayano 5 360 was one of the year’s most notable releases, in terms of sheer notoriety, the brand’s slew of releases with with the one and only Vivienne Westwood take the cake.

While the London-based designer is no longer directly involved in her brand’s day-to-day affairs, given how fundamental the label is to the modern fashion landscape, it’s exciting to see it finally receive some due shine—particularly when the final product is so darn good. Although the collaboration failed to sell out immediately (in fact it’s still available!), the colorway, execution and roll out were all top notch. And while Vivienne Westwood is not a regular name in modern menswear conversations, a hot sneaker collab may just be the push it needs to re-enter consumer consciousness. Given how Westwood herself has been bucking convention for generations, the unexpected collaboration makes perfect sense—exactly the reason it made it on our list.

If any single brand is representative of our current menswear moment, it’s Cactus Plant Flea Market. The brainchild of Pharrell’s former assistant Cynthia Lau, the streetwear label is still somehow shrouded in mystery despite numerous drops and high-profile releases. With a website that’s essentially a big cartel e-shop and no formal collections to speak of, Lau has managed to capture the streetwear community’s attention with cheeky graphics, bold colors and an impressive network of colleagues and celebrity cosigns.

Considering how influential the label is, a sneaker collab was imminent. Yet, like most things Lau does, she went above and beyond. First, there was the VaporMax, which combined the sneakers technical elements with the labels DIY-aesthetic in a shockingly well-executed way. Yet, after releasing arguably the sneaker of the year, Lau dropped another heavy hitter, a cordorury wrapped Blazer-mid, the first high-profile collaboration to feature Nike’s new “Nike by You” customization treatment. If that wasn’t DIY enough, Lau capped the year with an Air Force 1 low—debtably the best sneaker of all time—emblazoned with lettering lifted right off the Nike Air More Uptempo, itself a street classic. With a series of such high-profile drops, this partnership is one of the most promising sneaker series in recent memory, making it an easy edition to this list. We expect plenty of strong sneakers in the future, too.

If Supreme’s Knoll collaboration was its crowning design achievement this year, then its limited edition Swarovski crystal box logo was its most memorable. In celebration of the brand’s 25th anniversary, Supreme partnered up with the centuries-old Austrian glass manufacturer to produce a limited number of box logo T-shirts and hoodies that naturally sold out in a matter of seconds. While not boasting an obscene after-market value—many rare box logos fetch considerably more than $1,000—25 years of Supreme is a huge milestone nonetheless, and any anniversary memorabilia is worthy of consideration, particularly when its from the world’s number one streetwear brand.

While the flash and glitz is certainly not for everyone, only Supreme could manage to make a rhinestone hoodie this cool. For those willing to shell out the cash, these will certainly only increase in value and the sheer ludicrousness of the partnership makes it a mandatory inclusion.

Outside “The Ten”, Off-White collaborations tend to fly high and fast—massively popular then suddenly forgotten. That said, considering the years of build up and the continued popularity of Virgil Abloh’s Ikea collaboration, in this scenario that does not seem to be the case. Teased early last year, Abloh’s work with Swedish furniture company was years in development, a joint mission to bring smart design with street sensibility to consumers at an approachable price point. Apart from luring thousands of hypebeasts to their local Ikea, the partnership marked a new chapter in Abloh’s career—a creative endeavour with one of the most recognized brands in the globe well outside his already massive sphere of influence.

Featuring everything from a Mies Van Der Rohe-inspired chair to oxymoronic rugs and a redesigned bag featuring the designers infamous quotation marks, the collection synthesizes nearly everything that happened in menswear in 2019. Streetwear went mainstream, men became not only more fashion conscious, but design and lifestyle conscious in general. Sneakers ruled and young millenials proved they had serious buying chops. The king of the youth working alongside the undisputed champion in affordable furniture captures every single one of these narratives, and for that reason, defines not only the year, but the decade.