H&M has a lot to smile about this Fall 2009. It has just pulled-off what must be one of the greatest fashion coups of the decade, its collaboration with the world famous Jimmy Choo label to provde a stunning capsule collection. Footwear fashionistas the world over will be able to buy coveted Jimmy Choo designs at a fraction of the price.
H&M Collaborations with Fashion Designers
H&M has managed many successful designer collaborations from Karl Lagerfeld in 2004 to its most recent, the Jimmy Choo label (shoes, bags and clothing) for Fall 2009. The success of its more recent tie-in with Matthew Williamson for Summer 2009, brought this British designer’s sun-drenched bold patterns and prints to the masses, all at unbelievably low prices. In 2010, H&M pulled off their greatest fashion coup with a designer collaboration with the iconic Paris fashion house, Lanvin.
Previous H&M designer collaborations have included one-off limited edition capsule collections from Stella McCartney (2005), Viktor & Rolf (2006), Roberto Cavalli (2007) and Rei Kawakubo of the avante-garde Japanese label Comme des Garçons (Fall 2008). All proved to be sell-out successes.
Fashion Against Aids
A recent project (from May 28, 2009) is its Fashion against Aids. Some of the biggest celebrities from fashion, music and style such as Yoko Ono, Cyndi Lauper, Dita Von Teese, Katharine Hamnett and Katy Perry have worked in together with H&M in aid of charitable organizations (including Designers Against Aids) to provide funky T-shirts, vests and T-shirt dresses with an ‘80s feel in 100% organic cotton for sale at H&M, in the bid to support the fight against aids. Bold slogans on printed tees included “Protection is Power”, “Life is Too Short – Have Sex be Safe”, and Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Safe Sex”.
H&M Fall 2009 Collection
For Fall 2009 H&M is concentrating on classic tailoring with a modern twist, for both its men and women’s collections. Says H&M’s head of Design, Ann-Sofie Johansson, “Tailoring is back on the fashion scene. Classic staples are the obvious choice, but updated and re-modeled”.
Dramatic tailoring embodies the current structured trend is clean silhouettes and new sharp shapes, emphasizing shoulders, necklines and waists. Bold accessories such as oversized earrings and chunky necklaces complement clean cuts.
Patterns and prints include this year’s favorite of polka dots, stripes, wallpaper prints and cartoon motifs. Ethnic inspiration is taken from Russia and Cossack styles, with a touch of folklore thrown in.
H&M's Success
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) was founded in Sweden 1947. Its fashion concept of offering fashion and quality at the best price has certainly paid off. From humble beginnings, it now has around 1,600 stores in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia. On April 22, 2009 it opened its first store in Bejing, having launched its first Chinese store in mainland China in 2007.
With its new designer collaborations, innovative ideas and commitment to bringing quality to the high street at affordable prices, H&M continues to go from strength to strength and has firmly planted its fashion footprint in the high street. In January 2011, H&M announced that it is to cater for plus sizes too, with a one-off 50s-inspired collection entitled H&M Inclusive, which features sizes up to a UK size 24, due to be launched online in March 2011.
Images courtesy of PRPhotos.com
Gill Hart - Gill Hart is a fashion and image professional who specializes in women's fashion over 50.
