Hennes & Mauritz’s next designer collaboration, on sale November 5, is with Balmain of Paris.
Founded by Pierre Balmain after World War II, the veritable house rode a high soon after launch, being the choice of Hollywood stars. Now under the creative direction of Olivier Rousteing, Balmain has recaptured its “must-have” nature among celebrities, and Rousteing himself, as H&M points out, headed to the Billboard Music Awards’ red carpet last night in Las Vegas, Nevada to join friends and fans Kendall Jenner and Jourdan Dunn, who are promoting the campaign alongside him.
Using the hashtag #HMBalmaination, the two brands are signalling their collaboration on social media. ‘I want to talk to my generation: this is my main aim as a designer. H&M allows me the unique possibility of bringing everyone into the world of Balmain, get a piece of the dream and create a global #HMBalmaination: a movement of togetherness, fuelled on a hashtag. The collaboration felt extremely natural to me: H&M is a brand that everybody connects to. It calls for unity, and I am all for it,’ said Rousteing in a release.
‘We are excited to have Balmain as our guest designer at H&M and create a truly involving experience for everybody,’ said Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M’s creative adviser. ‘With its mix of couture spirit and streetwear attitude, Balmain owns a unique style, at once opulent and direct, sensual and energetic. It is also closely linked to the show business and music worlds, which adds another element of surprise.’
The collection will hit 250 stores worldwide and online at hm.com.