The designer — the latest in Hennes & Mauritz’s lineup of high/low collaborations that started with Karl Lagerfeld in 2004 and has included Stella McCartney, Comme des Garçons and Victor & Rolf — has brought his kooky femininity to the Swedish “fast fashion” chain.
The aim is to offer to a far greater audience Lanvin’s wit and fantasy, using bold prints, playful ruffles and vivid colors like sunshine yellow, alongside imaginative creations in black. In other words, to bring the haute style that Mr. Elbaz sends out on the Paris runways to a wider world.
“But I was thinking about the definition of luxury and about H&M, and I wanted them to go up rather than Lanvin to go down,” says the designer of what he calls “an interesting exercise in high street and high fashion.”
Mr. Elbaz said that he wanted to do “taste branding” and to work out “how we can do it for €99.99,” referring to the typical price level of a garment in an entire collection that includes accessories, shoes and a 20-piece menswear range.
Although the clothes go on sale across the world, Hennes & Mauritz has a particular reason to welcome the collection to Paris: a new 2,800-square meter, or 30,100-square foot, store on the Champs-Élysées, designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel — the first time a “fast fashion” chain has followed the architectural route. The concept of a dedicated store that creates a city landmark has mostly been reserved for big names such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton or Prada.
With 140 stores across France and 11 in Paris, H&M is incontestably for everyone — the opposite of the elitism that is at the core of couture. Mr. Elbaz admits that he had previously been wary of collaborating with fast fashion.
The aim is to offer to a far greater audience Lanvin’s wit and fantasy, using bold prints, playful ruffles and vivid colors like sunshine yellow, alongside imaginative creations in black. In other words, to bring the haute style that Mr. Elbaz sends out on the Paris runways to a wider world.
“But I was thinking about the definition of luxury and about H&M, and I wanted them to go up rather than Lanvin to go down,” says the designer of what he calls “an interesting exercise in high street and high fashion.”
Mr. Elbaz said that he wanted to do “taste branding” and to work out “how we can do it for €99.99,” referring to the typical price level of a garment in an entire collection that includes accessories, shoes and a 20-piece menswear range.
Although the clothes go on sale across the world, Hennes & Mauritz has a particular reason to welcome the collection to Paris: a new 2,800-square meter, or 30,100-square foot, store on the Champs-Élysées, designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel — the first time a “fast fashion” chain has followed the architectural route. The concept of a dedicated store that creates a city landmark has mostly been reserved for big names such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton or Prada.
With 140 stores across France and 11 in Paris, H&M is incontestably for everyone — the opposite of the elitism that is at the core of couture. Mr. Elbaz admits that he had previously been wary of collaborating with fast fashion.