H&M have announced their most recent collaboration will be with designer Alexander. The collection will be hitting 250 stores on 6th November as well as being available online. Elle posted a glimpse of the collection on Thursday, revealing that Wang‘s H&M pieces will include baggy pants, a bra top, as well as a Wang-embossed hat and jacket, infused with different styles from his signature collection. The first to give a sneak preview of the designer‘s clothing was signer Rihanna, who was seen wearing an outfit and had one of her photo‘s shared on Instagram by Wang. She wore a pair of leggings and a crop top from the range, which had Wang‘s name printed on it. The outfit, combined with a recent ‘tease‘ by H&M, suggests that the collection is going to be sportswear-inspired.
A video on Instagram featured flashing stadium lights, a digital countdown to “Wang x H&M” on a scoreboard and the numbers “11” and “06” to indicate the collection‘s 6th November launch date. The long awaited collection will allow fans of Wang to get their hands on his designs at a fraction of the usual price. Long queues and overnight campers outside stores are expected in the days leading up to the launch. Alexander Wang is an American fashion designer and Creative Director of Balenciaga. This will be H&M‘s first collaboration with an American designer. He designs clothes with an urban sporty look as well as drawing inspiration from competitive swimmers, cyclists and girls preparing for marathons. His collections are sold in over 700 stores worldwide, and the brand has 16 of its own stores in 7 countries.
“I am honoured to be a part of H&M‘s designer collaborations,” Wang said in an official announcement confirming the collaboration. “The work with their team is an exciting, fun process. They are very open to pushing boundaries and to set a platform for creativity. This will be a great way for a wider audience to experience elements of the Alexander Wang brand and lifestyle.”
In addition to apparel for both women and men, the collection includes shoes and bags, as well as “Objects,” which are selection of everyday items that H&M says are “reflective of the Alexander Wang lifestyle, infused with a sense of humour and irony.” The collection will be the latest in a long and successful line of designer collaborations that Swedish high street giant H&M has undertaken. Previous designers have included Versace, Marni, Lanvin and Isabel Marant.
H&M exists in 53 countries and as of 2013 employed around 116,000 people. It is ranked the second largest global clothing retailer, just behind Spain-based Inditex (parent company of ZARA), and leads over third largest global clothing retailer.
