At last! We finally have confirmation that Swedish fashion super giant H&M is all set to enter the Indian high street this year.
Following their government’s nod to invest $115 million in India, H&M has rocked our wardrobe potential with the announcement that their first Indian store will open this year. In the words of H&M CEO, Karl-Johan Persson – “We are very excited to open our first store in India. It is one of the most exciting countries in the world right now, with so much potential,” 50 outlets are expected across the country, however H&M has not yet decided where its flagship will be opened (please let it be Mumbai!).
H&M is the world’s second largest fashion retailer after Inditex (mothership of over 100 labels including Zara). The company has exploded over the past decade to 3,100 outlets in 53 countries. After conquering the European markets, it now plans to expand in Asia, with 375 new stores worldwide in 2014, including China, Australia and the Philippines.
The company built the ultimate bridge between high fashion & high street when it launched a series of collaborations with some of the biggest names in fashion – Lanvin, Versace, Maison Martin Margiela – to name a few. The pieces from these collections, sold out before lunchtime – becoming wardrobe royalty for the owners. It would be awesome to see if this would trickle down to Indian fashion names – I know, I would love to own a Manish Arora for H&M.
In conclusion, dear fashion babies, start filling your piggy banks, because you will want to get your hands on some of those super cool designer collaborations – trust me, they fly fast!
Photos: Tumblr, H&M