The Kanye West for Adidas Originals runway show during New York Fashion Week met mixed reviews and sparked a conversation about celebrities and their fashion credentials. Celebrity collaborations are a growing trend in the fashion industry, usually because big names with established fan bases draw a lot of attention to the designers and their lines. More and more shoppers are being bombarded by these collaborations — Zooey Deschanel, Kate Moss and Kendall and Kylie Jenner have all tried their luck in the designing world in the last year.

Many stars strive to attach their names to products or brands, but many fail. Kanye West’s clothing line Pastelle failed in 2009, just three years after its release. He then attempted to launch DW in Paris in 2011. It was a major flop.  A collaboration project is safer than launching a personal brand. Working with an established designer assures celebrities more support and a higher chance of success. Not everyone has the success that Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B label or the Olsen twins’ The Row have achieved.

Celebrities want their fans to have access to the clothing, not just other celebrities. An established brand such as BaubleBar can often afford to sell collaborative lines at lower prices than a fledgling clothing company would.

In an interview with style.com, Kanye West said he wants his line to be accessible to everyone, though the $350 price tag for the signature Yeezy 750 Boost shoes suggests otherwise.

In response to a question about the exact price of the clothes, Kanye said, “Not as cheap as I would like it to be. We’re working on the prices now, I don’t have the exact prices. But what I will tell you is that we’ll eventually get them super-inexpensive. And it will be all about everyone having them.”

For college students on a budget, these collaboration lines might not be practical. Model Cara Delevingne designed her own line of casual, ready-to-wear clothes with DKNY last year. Though the beanies, slouchy pants and crop tops were priced accessibly, the $375 sticker on the signature leather jacket was not.

These collaborations generate a lot of interest among fans of the celebrities.  “I think celebrity collaborations are particularly interesting when there is a personal relationship or friendship between the head designer and the celeb,” Gallatin junior Daniela Franco said. “In a way, the pieces reflect that interaction so it can give [the fans] a unique perspective into their lives. It’s also fun when they seem to have completely different tastes and come together to create unique pieces.”

However, they are rarely affordable for college students.

“I honestly haven’t really found celebrity collaborations to be affordable,” Franco said. “They are usually over $100 and for a student like myself who has to take out a ton of loans and has a scholarship in order to come here, I window shop but never actually purchase anything unless it’s been discounted quite a bit.”

A version of this article appeared in the Wednesday, Feb. 25 print edition.  Email Vanessa Haughton at [email protected]