TURNING PAGES: Swedish fast-fashion giant H&M is ready to engage with China’s local creative community once again, announcing an in-depth partnership with Shanghai Fashion Week last week.
As part of the deal, the brand will release a collaboration collection with a Chinese fashion designer under the support of Shanghai Fashion Week this fall.
During the fall 2024 edition of Shanghai Fashion Week, wrapped last week, it’s understood that Saed El-Achkar, regional manager of Greater China at H&M, and his team attended several shows, including Louis Shengtao Chen, Xander Zhou and Shushu/Tong, and has had preliminary conversations with potential candidates.
An official announcement is expected to be made in early summer.
H&M, which entered mainland China in 2007, has been actively engaging with local fashion creatives since 2015 when Ximon Lee scored the H&M Design Award. The brand threw a high-profile launch event in Shanghai when the capsule hit the store.
It later worked with Angel Chen and Pronounce on region-exclusive capsules and supported the Hu Fashion Forward Prize in 2021.
The brand’s exchange with the local fashion industry, however, was put on hold when the brand got caught in the Xinjiang cotton controversy in 2021. The company said it would stop using the region’s cotton, and was temporarily blocked from major Chinese e-commerce platforms temporarily.
The brand later emphasized its long-term commitment to the country and made great efforts to restore its relationship with local authorities. Since 2021, the company has attended the China International Import Expo.