Why H&M's designer collaborations stand out in a sea of fast fashion collabs

Since H&M’s first designer collaboration with the late Karl Lagerfeld in 2004, the fashion retail landscape has never quite been the same. Every year since then, the Swedish retailer has rolled out at least one collection jointly designed with a luxury label annually. And while the industry has evolved over the last two decades, with shifts in power amongst the major players, the way trends are disseminated across multiple platforms, and how customers shop, one thing that hasn’t changed is the buzz—and pandemonium — that a H&M designer collaboration ignites.

Long lines and overnight queues are par for the course with H&M designer launches, and while critical reception may vary, the collaborations are indubitably fodder for hypebeasts and mega-successful by any measure. So frenzied it was for the 2015 Balmain x H&M collection in Paris, that Olivier Rousteing, who helms Balmain, began panicking minutes before the retailer opened its doors to shoppers on the morning of the launch.

A police officer managing the crowds on location was also said to have asked Rousteing to leave the premises as it was “unsafe”. Other cities experiencing the same phenomenon include London, where shoppers described the event as “dangerous” with swelling numbers jostling for first dibs on the collection in stores. It has come full circle for Rousteing, who had joined the hordes who stood in line for the first H&M collection by Karl Lagerfeld twelve years earlier.

At that time, the idea of a high fashion couturier designing a capsule collection for a high street retailer was unthinkable, a fact that both H&M and Lagerfeld played up in a witty commercial where the designer’s aghast fans reel from shock and despair when they find out about the collaboration. “But it’s cheap,” one man protests, to which Lagerfeld drily responds, “It’s all about taste. If you’re cheap, nothing helps.” Now in its 19th year, the designer collaboration has proved to be a winning formula for H&M.

Lagerfeld was followed by other high fashion names reinterpreting the hallmarks of their work at a price point for H&M customers. Donatella Versace said, “The collection for H&M is the essence of Versace. I can’t wait to see how H&M’s wide audience will make these pieces their own.” Some designers welcomed the challenge of creating a lower-priced collection. Rei Kawakubo said, “I have always been interested in the balance between creation and business. It is a dilemma, although for me, creation has always been the first priority. It is a fascinating challenge to work with H&M since it is a chance to take the dilemma to its extreme, and try to solve it.”

In recent years, H&M has also tapped on younger, independent designers such as London-based Simone Rocha. Known for her abundant use of tulle, romantic silhouettes, and Victorian detailing, the collaboration gave the designer an opportunity to introduce menswear and children’s wear to her repertoire, and increased the visibility of her brand, introducing her to a wider global audience.

As for Casey Cadwallader, Creative Director of Mugler, he is thrilled that the fast fashion and luxury brand collaboration has enabled the democratisation of fashion and made it more accessible: “I truly hope these pieces become collectors’ items, but at the same time, I also can’t wait to see them worn and loved and enjoyed, on the street, or the dance floor, or even online — wherever people choose, as Mugler is for everyone and anyone and anywhere.”

Conversations about the collaboration were initiated before Thierry Mugler’s passing in 2022. H&M’s Creative Advisor Ann-Sofie Johansson says, “It’s been a long process because we started off talking to Mr Mugler himself. Within this collaboration, we always hoped to include a blend of the old Mugler and the new Mugler. Casey has such a respect for the legacy of the brand, and for all that Mr Mugler stood for — inclusivity, gender-fluidity, empowerment, body positivity and sexiness.

He has made young people adore both his vision for the house and also the history of the house — which is an amazing thing to achieve.” Of the Mugler collection for H&M, she observes, “They are so beautifully made and meticulous when it comes to shape and angle — you can tell he studied architecture as they totally enhance and empower the body, lifting, shaping and making it super sculptural.”

Cadwallader’s imprint on the collection can be seen in his signature spiral motif, adapted on catsuits and jeans across both the women’s and men’s collections. But he holds fast to the brand’s DNA. “I was adamant that this had to be true Mugler—nothing compromised or watered down,” he said. 

This article was originally published in Harper's Bazaar Singapore.