Collaboration Items (CIs) in Style Boutique are items which you, the boutique owner, will be asked to design for the different brands. The opportunity to create a Collaboration Item will unlock when you sell a lot of items from one brand. The exact number of items sold required to unlock Collaboration Items is currently unknown. Each brand has three-four different items available for collaboration. Which item or items you will be asked to collaborate on seems to change with the seasons (according to your device's calendar). You can only create one collaboration item per day (according to your device's calendar). It is possible to collaborate with all brands except Masquerade. Accepting a collaboration offer is a great way to earn money, as you receive 10 of each item, completely free of charge.
The Collaboration Process
When the opportunity to create Collaboration Items has been unlocked for a certain brand, the brand representative will come to your store. The game will provide you with a pop-up box with the following message: "The brand rep from [brand] is here". This is followed by a short speech from the brand representative (see below), ending with the player being prompted to answer either "Accept" or "Decline". If you choose "Accept", the collaboration option unlocks and the brand representative will tell you how to proceed. If you choose "Decline", the collaboration option will not unlock, and the brand representative will leave.
Initial speech by brand representative:
"Hello! Oh, what a beautiful boutique. I wanted to ask you something ... You may want to sit down ... Would you consider being a guest designer for our brand? We'd love to work with you to design a collaboration tiem! We'll make sure that the process is very simple for you! We'll provide you with colour swatches to choose from. All costs will be covered so you don't need to worry about that. How about it? Will you collaborate with us?"
Brand representative's reply if you answer "Accept":
"Thank you so much! I know we can design an amazing item together. Select Guest designer from your shop meny for more details. I can't wait to see what you come up with!"
Brand representative's reply if you answer "Decline":
"Oh ... That's a real shame ... But I'm not going to give up that easily! I'll be back again to try and get you to reconsider. Until then!"
The interaction ends with the game providing a pop-up box with one of two messages, depending on how you replied to the collaboration offer. If you chose "Accept", the pop-up box will say "The brand rep for [brand] left. The guest designer option is now available." If you chose "Decline", the pop-up box will simply say "The brand rep for [brand] left."
If you accepted the collaboration offer, the "Guest designer" option in the Shop menu has been unlocked, and the "Guest designer" button has changed its appearance, from a grey shirt to shirt which changes between two colors. If you select the "Info" page to be displayed on the left-hand screen, the "Notes" section will tell you when the design deadline is. Information about the deadline can also be found in your calendar. The deadline is always five days after accepting the collaboration offer.
If you click the "Guest designer" button, the game will provide you with a pop-up box with a picture of the item they want you to collaborate on, as well as the following information:
"You received a message from [brand rep]. Dear [player name], I'd like you to help us with the design of this item. You should have received the colour samples already. I just know that you're going to make a great guest designer! From [brand red]"
When you click "Next", the right-hand screen will offer you a selection of color samples to choose from, and the left-hand screen will show you a preview of what the finished item will look like, as well as offering information about which brand you are designing for, what the item's product code is, and what its product name is. The color samples are organized in two coloums, labeled "Colour 1" and "Colour 2". Each column has eight colors to choose from. Most items will have two coloumns of colors, but some items, specifically items from the brand pure cloth, will only have one color to choose from.
The top colors of each column may not be combined, as these are the colors of the original item. Any other colors may be combined as you desire. If the same brand asks you to collaborate on the same items multiple times, you can create new color combinations, or keep combining colors you have already combined before. Note that if you already have 10 of that specific Collaboration Item in your stockroom, the brand representative will refuse to send you more, and you will have to choose a different color combination.
Once you have chosen you colors, you click "OK" to proceed. The right-hand screen will then display a phone, followed by a conversation between the played and the brand representative. On the left-hand screen, you will see the item you have designed. The brandrepresentative says the following:
"Is that [boutique name]? Can I speak to [player name], please? This is [brand rep] from [brand]. I had a look at your design and I think it's fantastic! We're thrilled you agreed to be our guest designer! Can I go ahead and give this design to our production team?"
The player then has to choose between buttons "Yes, please!" or "Actually ...".
If you choose "Yes, please!", the brand representative says "We'll send you samples when they're finished." The conversation is then over.
If you choose "Actually ...", the brand representative will say "I can't wait to see your design", and you will be taken back to the previous screen, allowing you to make changes. You can change your design if you want to, or you can click "OK" without making changes. Once you click "OK" again, the same conversation as before occurs, and you will once again be asked to choose between options "Yes, please!" or "Actually ...".
The Collaboration Item will be delivered to your store the next day. Once you enter your store, the game will provide a pop-up box showing a closed gift box and the text "Touch to open!", followed by an open gift box and the text "Wow!". The pop-up box goes on to give you the following information:
"You received a message from [brand]. Dear [player name], Thank you for agreeing to be our guest designer. We're extremely happy with the end result. We look forward to working with you again! From [brand]"
The next screen shows the Collaboration Item you designed. You always receive 10 of each Collaboration Item. Once you click "OK", the game will provide a pop-up box saying "The items were added to your stock. You can now sell them to customers". Once you click "OK", the collaboration process is over.
Selling Collaboration Items
Once the Collaboration Items have been placed in your Stockroom, you can sell them to customers just like any other items. Collaboration Items will be easy to single out in your Stockroom and Wardrobe, as they have the text "Collaboration" written in red in the background of the product image.
Collaboration Items are great items to feature in Mailouts, as you always receive 10 of each item.
When you sell Collaboration Items to your customers, you will receive special replies from them. These are some of the replies you may encounter:
"Yay! A/an [brand] collaboration item?! Cool!"
"So cool! This is an Alvarado collaboration, right?!"
"Oh wow! A/an [brand] collaboration item you designed?! Lovely!"
Items Available for Collaboration
Each brand has three-four items available for you to collaborate on. Which item or items you are asked to collaborate on seems to correspond to the season (according to you device's calendar).
To see details about Items Available for Collaboration, see separate article.
Tips & Tricks
- Which brands you are offered to collaborate with depends on which brands you sell most of. If you want to collaborate with a certain brand, but their brand representative never approaches you, you have to sell more items from this brand. One way to do this is to change your shop interior to attract customers who want to purchase this brand. Another way to do this is to distribute a mailout with one or two items from the desired brand. This will also attract customers who like this brand. If you distribute a mailout, be sure to have several (optimally 10) of the featured items.
- If a customer comes in asking for an item you do not have, you can select a Collaboration Item from the brand they prefer and ask them to try it on. This will usually result in them saying this is not what they wanted, but that they will buy it anyway. Note that this does not work in all cases, but in a majority of them.
- If a Collaboration Item is part of an ensemble you create for a customer, they are more likely to ignore strange color/pattern combinations within the ensemble. Adding a Collaboration Item to the outfit is thus an efficient way to get rid of a lot of items at the same time, consequently earning more money.
Known Issues and Bugs
- It it not possible to create Collaboration Items for the brand Masquerade, but there is a bug which makes it seem as if it is. If you purchase the Magic Girl Wellies at the Exhibition Hall and try to sell them to a customer who likes Masquerade items, they will respond with the same kind of message as they would if you had been suggesting a Collaboration Item.