Reasonably priced fashion has proved to be a winning concept for Swedish H&M as the company spreads over the world. Photo: H&M

H&M has been a fixture on the Swedish retailing scene for almost 60 years, and has been steadily opening stores in other countries since the 1960s. The company currently employs 50,000 people in 24 countries.

In recent years, the company that brings "fashion and quality at the best price" has achieved international retail stardom, competing with clothing chains such as GAP and Zara. The company is also bringing haute couture to the masses, collaborating with the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney and, now, the Dutch duo Viktor & Rolf.

Fits well with H&M business idea
Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, the quirky pair behind the V&R label, say they feel like one person in all that they do – professionally anyway.

They began to get recognition in 1993 when they won a prize at the Hyères Fashion Festival, and now their collections sell in more than 20 countries. Their first flagship store opened in Milan last year.


Viktor and Rolf like the idea of communicating with the Swedish fashion company's numerous customers. Photo: Inez van Lamsweerde

H&M press manager Annacarin Björne says the new collection, which combines classic well-tailored clothing with a modern twist and a twinkle in the eye, fits well with the H&M business idea and way of thinking. "Their humor goes very well with H&M's philosophy and approach to fashion," she says. "The whole collection has a love theme with a lot of humor in it."

Mix and match
For Horsting and Snoeren, the collaboration offers a great opportunity to communicate with a large audience of H&M devotees. "If haute couture is the most sublime form of fashion, H&M is fashion at its most democratic,” they say. “Our roots are based in couture. It's the heart and soul of our work. But we also love to play with opposites: transformation is a key element of our signature style. For us, fashion is an antidote to reality."

H&M's guest designer collaborations enable designers like Viktor & Rolf to reach a wide audience while H&M attracts a new target group. "It’s a lot about mixing high fashion design with H&M or other designs," Björne says. "This is how we dress today."

The love-filled and humorous V&R collection matches H&M's philosophy very well, according to press manager Annacarin Björne. Photo: Inez van Lamsweerde

Leave it to the Swedes to successfully blend haute couture with democratic fashion – and it’s a formula that works well. The response has been so great that collections have sold out in no time and "scalpers"* are even selling collection pieces on the net.

If you can't beat them, join them
The first one-time collection was Karl Lagerfeld’s in 2004. He agreed to work with H&M because he felt it would be a fresh and interesting way of working. "Karl was familiar with our brand and company because, much to his chagrin, whenever he asked his own staff what they were wearing, it turned out to be from H&M," Björne says.

Lagerfeld's slim, black and white silhouette designs were followed a year later by Stella McCartney's hip, feminine fashions.

McCartney's name popped up on various marketing surveys. "We saw that consumers were fond of Stella McCartney," Björne says. "We had admired her sense of tailoring and femininity for a long time and thought she would be excellent for H&M customers. McCartney was intrigued by H&M and agreed to work with us."


Swede Helene Hellberg elbowed her way into the 2005 Stella McCartney launch – but she won't do it again. Photo: Jenny Lagerqvist

On the opening day of the Stella McCartney launch, shopper Helene Hellberg saw a crowd outside H&M in downtown Stockholm and decided to check out the event.

"The doors opened and people just poured into the store, grabbing tons of clothes to try on," she says. "By the time I got in, there were no regular sizes or 'normal' clothing left. For many people it was the only chance they had to buy Stella clothes, but I won't expose myself to that again. It's a bit like standing in line for Spy Bar* and not getting in because you're not cool enough."

Wear a helmet
Frank Bagge went to the launch with a colleague from work, thinking he might buy something nice for his wife. "I was shoved up against the wall by women grabbing at clothes," he says. "There was a real hullabaloo in the place and people were crazy. Everything was gone in five minutes!"


Belgium is one of the countries where Swedish H&M has a strong presence – with 50 stores in various cities.
Photo: H&M

This year, Björne says H&M will be refining their stock and refilling processes for more optimal shopping. Customers in the Nordic countries and The Netherlands will also have an opportunity to buy clothing online.

She advises shoppers to study the H&M website before heading to the store. "Prepare yourself and get there early on the launch date or come back the next day when the returns are in," Björne says.

Swedish fashion trivia

Swedish clothing exports are on the rise. In 2005, they
     exceeded SEK 7,800 million (USD 1,100 million)
     (Swedish Trade Council).

Filippa K, Gant, Nudie Jeans, Acne Jeans,
     J. Lindeberg, Bondelid, Peak Performance, Anna
     Holtblad, Nygårdsanna and WE are some of the
     successful Swedish clothing brands.

Other promising designer names are Patrik
     Söderstam (his trousers can be seen in
     Madonna's latest video), Ann-Sofie Back and
     Cheap Monday.

Beckman’s College of Design in Stockholm started its
     fashion study program in 1939 and is still going
     strong.

Stockholm University has recently established fashion
     studies as a new academic discipline.

Carin Rodebjer won this year’s prestigious award
     "Guldknappen" (The Gold Button). In 2001 it was
     awarded to H&M and its designer Margareta van den
     Bosch.

*A scalper is someone who buys something and resells it at a price far above the initial cost.
*Spy bar is a trendy Stockholm bar.
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While she'll happily put up with messy clothing racks and dust balls in dressing rooms for a designer bargain, freelance writer Cari Simmons prefers not to battle aggressive shoppers. She'll venture back into H&M after the onslaught.

The author alone is responsible for the opinions expressed in this article.

Classification: A168EN

© Photo 1: H&M
© Photos 2 and 3: Inez van Lamsweerde
© Photo 4: Jenny Lagerqvist
© Photo 5: H&M