H&M looks back on 20 years of iconic collaborations

"It’s fashion for everyone": this is how Karl Lagerfeld expressed it in 2004, at the launch of the first-ever collaboration between H&M and a renowned designer. This phrase, both visionary and iconic, encapsulates the very essence of a project that would go on to make fashion history. This partnership between Chanel’s creative director and the Swedish brand H&M inaugurated a series of unprecedented experiences, collaborating with some of the most influential designers in the industry, offering their designs to a wider audience. This fusion of luxury and ready-to-wear changed perceptions of accessible fashion, turning each launch into a global event. Today, H&M revisits these 20 years of history with Pre-Loved, a retrospective of its iconic collaborations. Through partnerships with secondhand fashion platforms, including Sellpy, the brand brings back these collector pieces, offering a new generation the chance to rediscover them. Launched in Paris on October 24, 2024, this project illustrates H&M’s ability to reinvent the concept of collaboration, blending the past and present for a more responsible future.

Two decades later, the impact of this strategy is undeniable. In 2005, Stella McCartney, with her vision of sustainable and feminine fashion, continued H&M’s innovative approach before Viktor & Rolf infused their theatrical romance in 2006, leaving a mark with their couture wedding dress, sold at affordable prices at H&M. This union between elite fashion and fast fashion blurred boundaries between the two worlds, creating a frenzied anticipation among consumers who gathered outside stores to obtain pieces from these exclusive capsules. The year 2010 was marked by two major events: Lanvin, under the creative direction of Alber Elbaz, offered a collection of refined style, where the chic exuberance of the Franco-Israeli designer merged with the simplicity of H&M cuts. A few months later, Sonia Rykiel made an appearance with a collection celebrating knitwear, the house’s icon, as well as a line of playful, seductive lingerie that captivated the brand’s fans. Far from being mere marketing operations, these collaborations symbolized a true creative fusion between the worlds of luxury and mass-market fashion.

Among the most memorable moments, the Versace collection from 2011 stands out as a high point. Conceived by Donatella Versace herself, it revisited the flamboyant codes of the Italian house: baroque prints, gold leather, and heightened sensuality. It was a glamour explosion, reflecting both Versace’s DNA and the democratic reach of the Swedish giant. The success was such that the collection sold out in minutes in multiple countries, foreshadowing the frenzy around future collaborations. Ten years after Lagerfeld’s initial success, H&M partnered with Maison Balmain and its creative director Olivier Rousteing in 2015. This collection, with exaggerated shoulders and ornamental pearls, perfectly embodied the opulent aesthetic of the young French designer while introducing his work to an international audience. The “Balmain Army” found its expression in the streets beyond supermodels, cementing the creator’s allure. With Pre-Loved, H&M turns nostalgia into opportunity, giving cult pieces from its collaborations a new story to tell, reaffirming that the fashion of tomorrow will be circular or it will not be at all.