Tired: The letter X. As the unofficial signage for a collaboration in fashion, the letter has been used and abused by countless brands in 2018. According to a quick inbox search, I was emailed about collaborations about 1,450 times this year. That’s over 30 collaborations announcements per week, move than five per business day. How did something that was once a niche aspect of the fashion business—Vogue did not use the word collaboration to describe a fashion partnership until a 2004 article about the opening of Dover Street Market—become an essential practice for brands?

Chalk it up to our communal way of life. The idea of a designer as isolated genius is long dead—this year’s many designer hirings, firings, and reshufflings prove it. Instead, a truly contemporary designer (and a truly modern brand) must be relatable and accessible, a savvy social communicator, and the center of a community of creatives, artists, muses, and friends. No one does it alone. In Vogue’s 2004 article about the DSM opening, Rei Kawakubo herself touted the importance of working together, saying, “We’re sharing the space, but no one is losing their identity. If anything, what each of us does is somehow accentuated. The result can only be positive.”

But just five paragraphs later in the same article, Vogue’s Mark Holgate presaged the the changing of the tide, a time when collaborations would go from artful statements on the power of teamwork to a corpo-cool buzzword. “A glance back at history tells us that revolutions have a tendency to be sublimated back into the status quo.” What to do when the revolution of collaboration backfires? Revolt again.

Wired: These 10 new modes of collaborating revitalized, tweaked, and reshaped the idea of a fashion-world partnership this year. May we all take these as lessons for 2019—oh, and here’s a bonus eleventh: Retire the X.

1. Invest in Longer-Term Collaborations

Kim Jones’s first Dior Men collection was buzzed-about not just for its hybridization of workwear and couture trends, but for the list of popular designers Jones had brought under the umbrella of Dior. Yoon, the cofounder of Ambush, was announced as Dior Men’s director of jewelry. Matthew Williams, the indie maestro of Alyx, designed custom buckles for Jones’s first two collections. Rather than tout these partnerships as traditional collaborations—or worse, hire Yoon and Williams without crediting them—Jones instead built a community of creatives that he will continue to work with for the foreseeable future.

Moncler utilized a similar strategy for its Genius program, which was unveiled at a blockbuster event during Milan fashion week in February. Partnerships with designers ranging from Pierpaolo Piccioli and Simone Rocha to Craig Green and Noir’s Kei Ninomiya were rolled out throughout the year and around the world, with many designers brought back for a second season. Creative continuity not only gives customers something to rely on and relate to, but adds an authenticity to these collaborations.

2. Mega-Brands Should Use Their Resources to Celebrate Young Talents

The odds are stacked against young designers trying to make it in fashion with small budgets and little access. Over the year, several large brands created mutually beneficial partnerships with rising talents, allowing the upstarts to expand their reach and, presumably, their revenue, while the retailers gained a bit of underground clout. The list of large-meets-small collaborations is weighted in favor of Britain’s next gen of stars: Topshop x Halpern, Coach x Matty Bovan, Liberty London x Richard Quinn. Asos signed up Queens-born LaQuan Smith, but it should be happening more often on this side of the Atlantic.

3. Mega-Brands Can Also Celebrate Fashion Legends

Riccardo Tisci’s first task at Burberry was not to redesign the logo or rethink the runway show—though ultimately he did both. Way back in July, the designer revealed that he would be collaborating with the grand dame of British anarchy, Vivienne Westwood. The culture clash of heritage brand and antiestablishment designer made headlines. In a race for newness, Tisci was making space to celebrate a fashion legend who shaped the look of London in the ’70s and ’80s.

At Louis Vuitton, Nicolas Ghesquière took a similar tack, asking Grace Coddington to design a collection of accessories inspired by their pets. By teaming with Coddington, Ghesquière not only cemented the importance of her influence and her ability to affect fashion from behind the scenes, but he also proved that fashion can be more than a business—between fittings and shoots and cocktail parties we manage to make lifelong friends, too.

4. Celebrity Collaborations Better Create a Big Social Impact

Coachella is now Beychella—that’s just how it is! But rather than let her monumental performance become just a flash in a newsfeed, Beyoncé took things to the next level with Balmain. Following her double-header gigs, she made her Olivier Rousteing–designed looks available for her fans to purchase around the world. What’s more, Balmain donated proceeds from each sale to the United Negro College Fund, where Beyoncé donated $100,000. Dressing like Beyoncé and doing good? That’s a win-win.