Thursday 10 July 2008

Fashion Forward Menswear with H&M


Mensrag informed me that H&M are planning on pushing menswear next season and about time to! The reason for the push? Well because they believe men are finally ready for more fashionable items. For me H&M used to be a great place to find the odd gem but in recent seasons it has really lost its way (as the Divided collection grew and grew - which primarily consists of gaudy t shirts in my opinion). The accessories on offer have always been pretty decent and varied. I often used to see stylish guys shopping in H&M and finding some great pieces...I just couldn't shop there. The best thing I've bought in recent years is a pair of novelty Hulk boxer shorts, which as it happens were a little too tight for my comfort so I was doing my own Bruce Banner impression but I shouldn't go on with this story...
Come September the Swedish retailers plan to update their racks with more fashion forward items for men (that phrase concerns me somewhat) - including jumpsuits, fake fur coats and flamboyant heck suits with wide lapels (this brief insight into the collection unsettles me further, but atleast they are looking to do something different). As men are becoming more fashion conscious the retail chain feel its perfect time to introduce fashion forward men’s garments - “Men have become more into fashion and more daring when it comes to details and silhouettes which is great to see.” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M’s head of design."



Will Mads Mikkelsen be wearing fake fur come September?

It won't all be fake fur and wide lapels though (phew), apparently checks will be the casual statement come September, alongside big knits and more conceptional creations where H&M designers turn up the volume, transforming cardigans into outerwear and making an oversize scarf the centre piece of an outfit (I like the sound of that). I've not been inside one of their stores for a while now but I will definitely have a look in a couple of months.

7 comments:

TheSundayBest said...

Not holding my breath on this one, Steve.

Anonymous said...

H&M uses awful fabrics all the time and no matter how they try to push their designs, it's still not possible for me to find anything nice there... the only thing that I remember I got from H&M is a shirt from the Karl Lagerfeld collection 4 yrs ago!!! It's so much easier to get a nice dress from the womenswear section than menswear...

Anonymous said...

I managed to bag myself a pair of Superman pants from H&M which I wear at work with a traditional suit to give me that Clark Kent concealed power feeling.

Style Salvage Steve said...

I hear your concerns and I share them. It is however refrehing to hear of retailers realising that there is a significant menswear market out there and men are interested in more fashionable pieces. I very much doubt that they will be able to do this as well or as convincingly as Topman have done in recent seasons.

Matthew Spade said...

oh well sounds exciting, like the sound of the big cardigans and the whole massive scarf vibe. sounds quite similar to the A/W 08 topman design collection.

Style Salvage Steve said...

I have a feeling that Johannson has observed the success of Topman design and decided that she wants a piece of the action. I am intrigued by what might be but like most of you think the efforts will be sub par.

Anonymous said...

It is best fabric for mens suits!! Love this!!

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