Swedish fashion house H&M announced their next designer collaboration will be with French fashion house Mugler. The collection, crafted under the direction of Mugler’s creative director Casey Cadwallader, will encapsulate the unique and vibrant spirit of Mugler. The collection will be available online and in selected stores in Spring 2023. H&M has been democratizing high fashion for nearly two decades by giving global audiences the opportunity to own special pieces of high-end designer history. H&M, which sparked high-low collaborations with Karl Lagerfeld‘s blockbuster 2004 collection, has also sold Stella McCartney, Moschino, Maison Margiela, Balmain, Isabel Marant, Comme des Garçons, Lanvin, Versace, Simon Rocha, and Giambattista Valli collections. The majority of them sold out quickly, occasionally causing chaos in the Swedish retailer’s flagship stores. However, its most recent collaborations have been more infrequent and low-key, including a 2022 Iris Apfel x H&M collection. As competition for market share in the fast-fashion sector heats up, H&M is expected to put significant resources behind its 2023 design collaborations.
NEWS
H&M is under pressure after rising costs slashed profits at the end of last year. Shares fell after the retailer reported an operating profit of $79.2 million for the quarter ending November 2022, down from $603.6 million the previous year. Now, the world’s second-largest fashion retailer is hoping that the Mugler collaboration will help. Since 2017, the label has experienced a renaissance under Cadwallader’s creative direction, attracting celebrity clients such as Kylie Jenner, Dua Lipa, and Cardi B for its body-hugging, spiral-cut dresses, and nude-illusion looks.