After collaborating with the likes of French luxury fashion house Balmain and Italian luxury fashion company Versace, Swedish fast-fashion retailer, and since its first released designer collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld in 2004, it has put out a series of projects with top designers plucked mostly from the runways of Europe’s fashion weeks.
Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) on Tuesday announced its first Indian collaboration with designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. The designer, under his label Sabyasachi, is known for the use of Indian textiles in the construction of modern silhouettes.
The new line called Sabyasachi x H&M, The collection will mix “modern and traditional silhouettes with a nod towards athleisure and glamping,” according to the release, and will incorporate Indian textiles and prints. It’s scheduled to hit the market on April 16, when it will launch at H&M stores across India, in some of its flagships around the world, and online at H&M’s website and Myntra, the digital fashion retailer owned by Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart.
“I am happy to announce the collaboration with H&M, as it gives us the opportunity to spread the Sabyasachi aesthetic to a wider audience in India and worldwide. Having done couture for the majority of my career, it is very exciting to bring that finesse of craft to ‘ready-to-wear’ and create whimsical and fluid silhouettes that bring relaxed sophistication to everyday life,” said Sabyasachi.
Launching on 16 April, the collaboration themed ‘Wanderlust’ will present hand-crafted and eclectic travel pieces, the retailer said. “At H&M, we are thrilled to announce our collaboration with iconic Indian designer Sabyasachi, known for his dynamic use of indigenous crafts and textiles — a language so stunning, that it permanently altered the fashion and design landscape of the country,” said Ella Soccorsi, concept designer at collaborations & special collections, H&M.
H&M hasn’t released any pricing details, but it’s certain to be cheaper than Sabyasachi’s original designs, which reach easily into the thousands of dollars. H&M, which entered India in 2015, reported sales of ₹1,108.2 crores in the year ended 30 November 2018. The retailer currently operates a total of 46 stores across the country. In 2019 it had two-quarters of around 40% growth, and then in the quarter ended in August 2019 (pdf), its sales in India were up 29%—still strong, even if those sales have moderated some from its prior numbers. The company will give its next update on Jan. 30.
