Balmain X H&M
Balmain X H&M
Jourdan Dunn, Kendall Jenner, Ann-Sofie Johansson, Olivier Rousteing, Dudley O’Shaughnessy, Gigi Hadid – Copyrights @ Courtesy of H&M
High street and designer collaborations tend to cause a unique kind of fashion thrill and over the past 11 years retailing giant H&M has provided us with some of the best. Remember Karl Lagerfeld from way back in ’04? Or more recently Isabel Marant and Alexander Wang? This time it is the turn of Parisian fashion house Balmain.
Copyrights @ Courtesy of H&M
A favourite amongst its young celebrity clients, the labels popularity has rocketed over the past few years with designer Olivier Rousteing at the helm. Rousteing was appointed creative director for the brand in 2011 at just 26 years old, taking over from Christophe Decarnin. His youth and relatively unknown status as a designer put him under the spotlight in the industry as he led the brand in a fresh new direction whilst managing to retain the traditional aspects of the label. Young celebrities and models were now wearing the brand which made it aspirational to a younger mass market. Olivier talks about making fashion for the new generation and has a massive social media presence. Balmain was the first French fashion house to reach over a million followers on Instagram which proves he is reaching his intended audience and succeeding in creating his own Balmain Army.
The brand is synonymous for its sexy embellished designs with a utilitarian twist. Short hemlines and structured shapes are its signature along with intricate embroidery, beading and plenty of black and gold. We can expect more of the same from the H&M collection but at a fraction of the original price. Dresses are priced around £200-£300 in comparison to the mainline collection where dresses can cost anything from £2000 upwards. The range which is comprised of over 100 pieces will also include shoes, jewellery and accessories such as sunglasses and even headphones. It takes direct influence from past Balmain seasons and some pieces are complete doppelgangers for the originals. Perfect for the Balmain fan who doesn’t quite have the budget to match his or her taste!
Copyrights @ Courtesy of H&M
H&M have created mass hype surrounding the hotly anticipated launch with a glamourous advertising campaign set in a futuristic subway station featuring models Kendall Jenner and Jourdan Dunn. This was followed by a catwalk show in New York where many saw a preview of the collection and an exclusive performance from the Balmain-clad Backstreet Boys. A music video with its own soundtrack is due to be launched on 29th October to complete the promo. Follow the latest on social media through the hashtag #HMBALMAINATION.
Balmain X H&M is set to be the retailers biggest collaboration yet and will be launched on the 5th of November in around 250 selected stores worldwide and online, see you in the queue!
Copyrights @ Courtesy of H&M
Balmain X H&M
