From The Straits Times    |

This past week fashion brand H&M announced a new designer collaboration with Moschino, via the label’s creative director, Jeremy Scott. This will be the Swedish clothing giant’s 18th collection in partnership with a designer in the best part of 15 years — enough to make the retailer a master in the art. While fashion fans wait to discover the fruit of this latest partnership — due in stores November 8 — here’s a look at some of the brand’s previous major collaborations.

It all started in 2004, when H&M presented its first major collaboration with a renowned designer — and not just any designer — since the brand hit the ground running with Karl Lagerfeld. The collection launched in November that year, drawing huge crowds of customers to stores, with lines to rival the start of the sales.

The collab soon became an annual event, keeping fashion fans on tenterhooks each year. Always more progressive, and sometimes surprisingly niche — like the 2012 Maison Martin Margiela collection — H&M is stacking up an impressive portfolio of collaborations, each more eagerly awaited than the next. As well as raising the Swedish giant’s profile and making headlines, the collabs also make clothing designed by some of fashion’s biggest names accessible to high-street shoppers.

H&M counts 18 collaborations of the kind since 2004, with Stella McCartney in 2005, Viktor & Rolf in 2006, Roberto Cavalli in 2007, Comme des Garçons in 2008, Matthew Williamson and Jimmy Choo in 2009, Lanvin and Sonia Rykiel in 2010, Versace in 2011, Marni and Maison Martin Margiela in 2012, Isabel Marant in 2013 and Alexander Wang in 2014.

In 2015, the ready-to-wear fashion brand scored big with its collaboration with Olivier Rousteing for Balmain. The Millennial favorite, with some 4.8 million Instagram followers, drew huge crowds of shoppers, lining up in front of stores and wrestling their way to grab pieces from the collection.

Since then, H&M has partnered with labels Kenzo and Erdem, in 2016 and 2017 respectively, before signing up Jeremy Scott for Moschino. The designer will no doubt cause a sensation with a colorful collection, filled with creativity, fun and quirky motifs.

 

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