H&M is perched loftily atop the fast fashion heap, but the Swedish-based discount retailer isn't satisfied or content with just that status. H&M is considering launching a new brand that will be totally different. Go ahead and catch your breath. I know, it's beyond thrilling.
Bloomberg reports that the fashion giant is considering new store concepts. This new brand could arrive as soon as 2017. H&M chief Karl-Johan Persson stated that the new brand "will be completely different from H&M" and that it will not fall in line with the various H&M sister brands, either.
The sister brands that Persson referred to do not command the same type of recognition or consumer reverence as H&M, which is flying high as customers eagerly anticipate the H&M x Balmain collabo.
In case you weren't familiar, the most notable sister brands are Cheap Monday, which is denim-based, as well as COS, which is pricier. There is also the buzzing & Other Stories arm, which offers beauty items, accessories, and apparel. Don't forget Monki and Weekday, which are growing.
As Bloomberg reminds us, H&M opened an & Other Stories boutique in London back in 2013. That's the last time the brand did a new concept. It appears to have been a successful launch; there are now 20 & Other Stories shops in 10 countries.
There isn't much in the way of information about the new H&M brand. That means it's time to start fantasizing, daydreaming, wishing, praying, and hoping for greatness. Given H&M's status, and the cool factor of & Other Stories, there is no way this can't be good.
Here's three ideas we'd love to see expanded upon and/or executed regardless of how unrealistic they may be.
1. Customization
Brands like Converse and Vans allow their fans to customize their signature shoes. What about a boutique that lets fashion fiends customize their outfits based on a specific array of templates, cuts, and colors, guided by a fashion advisor? It could be a premium service and wouldn't require any seamstress work. H&M is already pretty flawless at fast fashion. How about something... slower?
2. Only Up + Comers
With monster names like Alexander Wang and Balmain working with H&M, how about this new brand only working with up and coming designers or unknown names? There's a cache that goes along with "discovering" designers who could go on to do huge things. Plus, real fashionistas love to be the first to wear a designer. So it would attract a very specific customer.
3. Premium Shoes
You know what always made Topshop stand out for me? The shoe department in the NYC store. I loved the array of well-made, somewhat pricy, all-brand boots I always found at Topshop, whereas H&M shoe offerings always left something to be desired, IMO. I think it's time for an H&M-backed brand to make a serious foray into footwear.
Those are just some ideas outside of the box in which H&M operates. If it's going to be something totally different, these are ways the new brand on the block can be just that.
Whatever happens, know this. I'm stoked. At this point, everything H&M does is golden.
Images: Getty (4); Giphy (1)
