Like clockwork, H&M has released one or two fashion designer collaborations a year since 2004. Karl Lagerfeld was the first, with design greats like Rei Kawakubo and Alber Elbaz following in his footsteps, finding new ways to reimagine their haute aesthetics for the high street. And like clockwork, the majority of these collections sell out in hours and hit the secondary market for two or three times the price of the originals.
Tonight, H&M will unveil its 2016 partnership with Kenzo’s Humberto Leon and Carol Lim on the runway. (Expect animal prints and real-people models on the catwalk.) To prep for Kenzomania, we’re looking back at every H&M collaboration that came before—and ranking them. Scroll down to see which one comes out on top.
15. Jimmy Choo x H&M, 2009
Flash back to 2009: Jimmy Choo wasn’t necessarily the hottest haute shoe brand going, but the partnership with H&M did give shoppers an opportunity to cop then–designer Tamara Mellon’s slinky stilettos at a more affordable price.
14. Viktor & Rolf x H&M, 2006
Viktor & Rolf’s Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren were among H&M’s earlier collaborators. The Dutch duo did serve up some kooky creations—a bow-trimmed wedding dress was particularly sweet—but for the most part they checked their quirk at the door.
13. Matthew Williamson x H&M, 2009
Williamson might not be on the Fashion Week schedule anymore, but in 2009 he was a go-to designer for the gypset. His H&M collection traded the streets of Portobello Market for St. Barth’s, with model Daria Werbowy posing in peacock-print caftans on sandy shores.
12. Roberto Cavalli x H&M, 2007
Cavalli’s collaboration captured the party-girl ethos of his brand in glittering minidresses and revealing frocks. It wasn’t for everyone, but it suited its pre-recession, dancing-on-the-edge-of-the-volcano time.
11. Marni x H&M, 2012
Quirky girls love Marni, and the brand’s 2012 collaboration delivered to that demographic. All the Marni signatures were there, from graphic prints to oddball jewelry to bold swimwear. Another pro: Nothing was priced over $149.
10. Stella McCartney x H&M, 2005
Ask a fashion editor her favorite H&M collaboration and she’ll say Stella McCartney’s. The designer’s penchant for creating effortlessly wearable garments was a great match for the Swedish company.
9. Maison Martin Margiela x H&M, 2012
H&M’s Maison Martin Margiela collaboration brought fashion nerds, hype-beasts, and artsy It girls together to shop for trompe l’oeil bodysuits and ripped jeans. It would’ve been a bigger deal if the fast-fashion giant had managed to partner with the brand when the house founder was still in the picture.
8. Sonia Rykiel x H&M, 2009, 2010
At the time of Rykiel’s H&M collaborations, the brand wasn’t exactly headline news. Still, the vibrant knit pieces and slinky bralettes were great gets for women smart enough to buy them. We’d take a third round of this one in 2017, please.
7. Balmain x H&M, 2015
It’s hard to top Olivier Rousteing in the millennial wow-factor department. The Balmain designer had Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, and the Backstreet Boys at his Balmain for H&M fashion show, turning Instagram into a black hole of #BalmainHMNation pics. But it wasn’t just the buzz that made his collection memorable; Rousteing took the opportunity to remake some of his most recognizable runway pieces at a lower price point, giving shoppers the feeling that they were getting a piece of Balmain proper.
6. Isabel Marant x H&M, 2013
Marant is an expert in crafting unstudied clothes with small touches of detailing, whether it be the rope decoration on a cropped jacket or a subtle print on boyfriend jeans. For French-girl fanatics and other women looking to class up their everyday outfits, this was the collab to shop.
5. Karl Lagerfeld x H&M, 2004
“Karl! Karl, is it true?!” screamed a bougie type in an official ad for Lagerfeld’s H&M collaboration. The collection was H&M’s first designer collaboration, and it just might be the one fans went wildest for. According to WWD, 1,500 to 2,000 pieces sold per hour in the Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan, with most of the range selling out in a day globally. The rapid sellout was a point of contention for the designer, who promised to never work with H&M again. Still, those tees with Lagerfeld’s face on them were hard to resist.
4. Alexander Wang x H&M, 2014
An early adopter of athleisure, Wang crafted a sporty collection of leggings, hoodies, and T-shirts in shades of white, gray, and black that left the South-of-Houston set clamoring for more. Two years later, we still see people wearing these pieces out and about.
3. Versace x H&M, 2011, 2012
Donatella Versace made her H&M collaboration in her own image, turning models Abbey Lee, Lindsey Wixson, and Daphne Groeneveld into glamazon Donatellas clad in Versace’s signature Greek key motif. The range was a celebration of color, pattern, and print, crashing H&M’s website within minutes of going on sale and reaching astronomical prices on the secondary market. (Even the garment bags and paper shopping bags were reselling for hundreds of dollars on eBay.) It was so successful, H&M brought it back for a second season. The best part: Prince performed at the New York launch party.
2. Lanvin x H&M, 2010
Lanvin’s 2010 collaboration captured not only designer Alber Elbaz’s ebullient spirit but also converted his many design signatures, from voluminous ruffles to emotive jewel tones. The success was thanks to Elbaz’s openness with H&M. “I decided to give H&M our Lanvin secrets, the patterns, everything,” he told Vogue’s Lynn Yaeger. “In the end, you really only have what you give away.”
1. Comme des Garçons x H&M, 2008
Rei Kawakubo is no stranger to collaborations. She has partnered with Converse, Supreme, Disney, Nike, and more, which made her 2008 collection for H&M feel less like a one-off than a continuation of a larger CDG narrative. “For me there’s no compromise,” the designer told W at the time. “I do what I want, and they do whatever I couldn’t do myself.” Call it authenticity . . . for less than $30.
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