A major fashion bomb dropped last night at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards. ICYMI, news of the H&M x Balmain collection was revealed in real time. Kendall Jenner wore a black and white H&M x Balmain jacket, and Jourdan Dunn wore a red skirt and embellished top from the range, offering an IRL preview of the designer’s upcoming high-low mashup with the affordable retailer.
I am so optimistic that this upscale-meets-mass collision will be amazing. In fact, based on two looks from the collection, I think it will certainly give last year's Alexander Wang x H&M dystopian athleisure capsule collection a run for its money.
And yes, I am already predicting that fashion lovers will line up days in advance and that the items will sell out in five minutes, leaving slim pickins for latecomers.
Jenner's tailored blazer had intricate beading, while Dunn's drapey skirt and lattice-like top were way fashion forward and had endless styling possibilities. I’d never, ever have thought they were H&M pieces, but Olivier Rousteing, creative director of Balmain, confirmed the truth on the brand’s IG page.
H&M creative advisor Ann-Sofie Johansson explained the painfully obvious reason H&M chose to work with Balmain as part of its guest designer series, which has also included luminaries and lines like Comme des Garçons, Versace, Roberto Cavalli, Sonia Rykiel, Viktor & Rolf, and many more.
"We are excited to have Balmain as our guest designer at H&M and create a truly involving experience for everybody,” Johansson said, according to WWD. "With its mix of couture spirit and streetwear attitude, Balmain owns a unique style, at once opulent and direct, sensual and energetic. It is also closely linked to the show business and music worlds, which adds another element of surprise."
Well, all of that is true. A lot of celebs, from Rihanna to Kim Kardashian, don Balmain. Now the brand will reach a larger, mass audience. If one of your biggest pastimes is copying Rihanna's style, well, these pieces will aid that quest.
Here’s everything we know about this thrilling collab so far. Get excited, guys.
1. November 5
The range will hit approximately 250 H&M boutiques on November 5. It’s limited edition, just like the rest of their designer collaborations. You'll want to shop the minute the collection lands or you'll be relegated to scouring eBay for pieces.
2. Talkin' About My Generation
Rousteing wants to speak to a generation of fashionable young people and H&M is the language with which he will convey this message. He gets that the best way to translate Balmain's high fashion aesthetic at a mass level is via H&M. He said, "I want to talk to my generation: This is my main aim as a designer. H&M allows me the unique possibility of bringing everyone into the world of Balmain, get a piece of the dream, and create a global #HMBalmaination: a movement of togetherness, fueled on a hashtag." Fueled by a hashtag? That's so #millennial.
3. U-N-I-T-Y
Rousteing is stoked about the collab, with absolutely no fear of a high-low mashup diluting the Balmain brand, saying, "The collaboration felt extremely natural to me: H&M is a brand that everybody connects to. It calls for unity, and I am all for it." So are we, Olivier. So are we!
4. All In
The range will serve both men and women, and it will include clothing and accessories. Prices and the volume of pieces are TBD, but expect there to be plenty of offerings to choose from with some a bit pricier than others. Me? I'll take whatever I can get my hands on — as long as it comes in black.
We have just under six months to wait until Balmain x H&M impacts earth, so we can dream and scour the Balmain Instagram looking for teasers, hints, and clues. It's going to be a long summer.
Images: Getty Images (6)
