Nov. 2, 2017. The only day I had purposefully set up an alarm on my phone for 8 a.m., to go shopping online instead of for class. As soon as I logged onto H&M’s website to view their annual designer collaboration, the website crashed due to the high volume of visitors.
Erdem was H&M’s chosen designer for this designer collection, a brand unknown to many, but worn on the red carpet by stars such as Nicole Kidman, Alexa Chung and Kirsten Dunst. Erdem Moralioglu is the mastermind behind the brand, and is considered to be one of fashion’s “most romantic” creators. He studied in London at the Royal College of Art in 2000, and launched his own label in 2005. He won Womenswear Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2014.
Moralioglu’s collection with H&M was inspired by the elusive concept of femininity, a reflection upon his entire career as a designer. The line was also inspired by the Pet Shop Boys 1980’s music video for their song “Being Boring,” showing a group of young people at a country house mansion, which is mimicked in the collection’s overview video shot by film maker Baz Luhrmann.
The collection features men’s and women’s clothing which is a first for the designer, who has previously focused solely on women’s wear.
A numerical breakdown of the collection includes 36 clothing items for women, including suits, dresses, and coats, 22 clothing items for men, 14 accessories for women, 10 accessories for men, and 14 “limited edition” items for both men and women.
The collection was sold out within half an hour of being made available on H&M’s site, but the hope that they will resurface on the resale apps eBay or Depop is alive and well — with a cost. Many sellers on those apps have jacked up the price on the collection 50 to 100 percent, making the already pricey collection range between $50-$650 instead of its originally set amount of $25-$299.
Hopefully many of these scammers will have a change of heart and us true fashionistas can have a taste of the monumental collaboration at a reasonable price. The photos of the collection speak for itself, these chic pieces are a must have.
All photos courtesy of H&M’s website