COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Here's The Entire Alexander Wang x H&M Lookbook (And It Ain't Cheap)

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H&M is preparing for what might possibly be its most frenzied Designer Collaboration ever as its exclusive Alexander Wang collection launches on November 6th in select stores and online. Frankly, we are a little bit afraid of even attempting to visit the stores on that day, but at least we have plenty of time to plan ahead. You have seen the advertising images, and today, the entire collection has hit the internet by way of lookbook images all of which we have included in two separate galleries for women above and men below. We knew that it would be a special line of brand new items designed just for the Swedish retailer with an athletic theme, but unfortunately, the big surprise is that it is probably H&M's most expensively priced collaboration yet. Sure, there are tees and knits that run from just under $50 to around $99, but there are also pieces that run up to nearly $400, which is getting close to what regular Alexander Wang costs. We haven't seen the womnen's line itemized yet, but GQ has item shots of the men's collection which reveals that those cool high-top leather zip sneakers will be $299. Fast fashion prices? We don't think so. That great reflective down parka will be $349. Backpacks are checking in at $129 - $249. The zip sweatshirt with textured sleeves will be $349, and so on. Anyway, the stuff comes almost entirely in black and looks really cool. You can actually buy those boxing gloves ($59.95). There are a lot of logos, and if you want to wear a head elongating ski beanie ($29.95) that says "WANG" in big letters on it, then you may do so at your own risk. For us, it's a little on the nose, so to speak. Click the galleries, and decide for yourself.

Previously:
Collaboration Anticipation: Alexander Wang Mixes Athletes With Models In His Campaign For H&M

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COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Alexander Wang Mixes Athletes With Models In His Campaign For H&M

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Alexander Wang's collaboration line with H&M doesn't drop until November 6th, but the advertising campaign has just been unveiled. Rather than collecting together "Greatest Hits", Wang's line has been designed specifically for the chain with an athletic inspiration, so the designer cast soccer player Andy Carroll and kickboxer Rivaldino dos Santos alongside supermodels Joan Smalls, Isabeli Fontana, Natasha Poly and Raquel Zimmerman to be photographed by Mikael Jansson. “We wanted to take certain elements of each sport and portray the ultimate warrior,” Wang tells WWD. “The girls had to feel big and heroic, and Mikael used sunlight glares to heighten that effect against a stark white backdrop.”Have a look at the campaign in the gallery above.

GRAND OPENINGS: What To Look For At Today's H&M Flagship Unveiling On 5th Avenue

"Everything under one roof" is what to keep in mind as H&M opens the doors of its biggest flagship anywhere today at Noon at Fifth Avenue and 48th Street. For the first time in the U.S., every product category that the Swedish mega-chain offers will be available in a single store including men's, women's, children's, newborn, maternity, lingerie, cosmetics, special sizes and, for the first time in New York, the long awaited home collection.

Will you want to get there early?
Maybe. The first 500 shoppers through the doors get an H&M T-shirt and an Access to Fashion Pass (read: Gift Card), valued from $10 to $500, so they will make it worth you while.

In addition, artist Jeff Koons has collaborated with the chain to offer an exclusive limited edition handbag featuring the signature "Balloon Dog" image ($49.95 at left) that will be plastered on the store's façade for the opening (H&M is a major sponsor of Koon's current retrospective at the Whitney Museum).

Of course at 57,000 square feet, it will only be the chain's biggest store for a few months until it has to surrender its title later this year to the 63,000 square foot unit set to open later this year on 34th Street at the former Herald Center. If you miss today's fanfare, don't worry. It looks like there will be plenty more coming in a few months and that's not even including the U.S. debuts of H&M's other chains & Other Stories and COS before the end of the year.
Yeah, they are taking over the city.

H&M Opens at Noon on Thursday July 17th at 589 Fifth Avenue at 48th Street, Midtown
Previously:
H&M's Biggest Flagship Ever Opens On Fifth Avenue In July With A Jeff Koons Collaboration + Prizes

SUMMER DISTRACTION: David Beckham Is Looking Tough In His Next H&M Campaign

Leave it to the clever folks at H&M to know that a slow, steamy, muggy Summer day is the perfect time to release the images from the next David Beckham Bodywear campaign. It's not that any day isn't a good day to release pictures of Beckham in his underwear, but just as the U.S. has exited the World Cup competition, it is not a bad idea to turn our attention to another celebrated footballer who has move on to other endeavors that still allow him to show off his legs and torso. This season, Becks is looking a little angrier than usual, with his mussed up hair and five-day stubble. You may not want to bother him this season, just get your underpants and be on your way. The new collection hits H&M stores on August 21, and includes new patterns and colors like blue check that folks seem to be very excited about. By then, you should also be able to find the collection at the new H&M flagship on Fifth Avenue, but we are likely to have more to say about that store when it opens in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, have a look at the campaign and a few behind-the-scenes shots in the gallery below.  

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FLAGSHIP UPDATE: H&M's Biggest Flagship Ever Opens On Fifth Avenue In July With A Jeff Koons Collaboration + Prizes

H&M's next uber-Flagship finally has an opening date and an exclusive art collaboration, so mark your calendars for Thursday, July 17th at Noon. That's when the Swedish fast-fashion chain begins its domination of New York retail for the rest of the year. There are also debuts of America's first COS and & Other Stories locations coming up, but the event at hand is the unveiling of the chain's largest U.S. flagship store (until the one at the former Herald Center is finished, that is). As we and others have been reporting, the 57,000 square foot store at 589 Fifth Avenue at 48th Street will be the first in the city to offer the H&M home collection and include every single one of the chain's product categories including children's clothing for newborns up to age 14 as well as separate in-store shops for Accessories and Lingerie. The real news here is the debut of a collaboration with artist Jeff Koons, whose upcoming retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art is being sponsored by H&M. Along with the monumental graphic of Koons' signature "Balloon Dog" sculpture to be featured on the store's exterior, H&M will also be offering a limited edition Balloon Dog Handbag (pictured at right, price TBA). After helping to invent the "masstige" designer collaboration some years ago, this will be H&M's first time teaming up with a fine artist, and the Pop-minded Koons is certainly one of the most appropriate ones to start with. “The partnership with H&M was really exciting for me and the chance to showcase one of my most popular works to a new generation of people was inspiring. H&M delivers great fashion season after season and it’s nice to see my work at their new store,” the artist tells us. Those early birds who want to be the first to see the new museum-inspired store will be rewarded. The first 500 shoppers will be offered an H&M t-shirt and an Access to Fashion Pass, valued from $10 to $500. In addition, there will other prized throughout the day for the whole family.

FLAGSHIP FLASH: & Other Stories Finds A Broadway Address For Its First U.S. Store

Though it announced the American arrival of COS first, it looks like H&M is giving its other burgeoning chain & Other Stories the premium location when it opens this Fall. The chain will be taking 10,915 square feet at 575 Broadway (pictured above with a logo we added ourselves), the historic building at the corner of Prince Street that also houses Prada. If we are not mistaken, it was also the site of Club Monaco's, temporary women's store last year. The space is on two levels, and stretches all the way to the back of the building, which could potentially allow for a second entrance at 142 Mercer Street like the one Prada has.

While the upcoming COS store at 129 Spring Street will be in a highly desirable location, it is the high profile frontage on Broadway that appears to put & Other Stories on a faster track for growth. The store will find itself one one of the city's most heavily trafficked streets, nestled amongst other big names that will give it maximum exposure not only among New Yorkers, but also the tourists who will be instrumental in bringing reports of the new chain back to other potential markets both in the U.S. and abroad. It is a strategy that has worked well for other imported chains like Sephora, Mango and Desigual, and even the mothership H&M itself. This is not to say that COS is already the stepchild getting short shrift. The chains are differentiated by a focus only on trendier, women's merchandise at & Other Stories and a more sophisticated, minimalist-inspired style at COS which offers products for Men, Women and Children and is currently the only one of the two chains to offer e-commerce in the U.S. The only question now is whether the store is far enough along in construction to to make its Fall opening date? COS was meant to open this Spring, and has officially been pushed back a season, though that could just be a result of the poltergeists and other ghosts said to haunt the location. As far as we know, there is no such supernatural activity at 575 Broadway, but if the site has just been identified, it might take some magical superpowers to have it ready for business in a few short months.

* That's a new photo of the site pictured above. We added the logo to the image, so it's possible that & Other Stories has been working on the store for a while under the anonymous cover of plywood

H&M sister label & Other Stories selects Soho flagship location (The Real Deal)

MODEL TURNED... Gisele Bündchen Is A Singer Now

It was probably only a matter of time, but Brazilian Supermodel, NFL Wife, occasional Actress and general Media Sensation Gisele Bündchen is now a singer having recorded a cover of the Blondie classic "Heart of Glass" with French DJ and Producer Bob Sinclar. She doesn't embarrass herself, but there's no chance she is going to make you forget Debbie Harry either. Whether this is a new career direction remains to be seen, because it looks like Bündchen and Sinclar recorded the single as a part of the summer campaign for H&M that features the model in her native garb, a bathing suit —or a few bathing suits to be precise. You can see Bob Sinclar make a special appearance at H&M in Times Square this Friday, May 2nd from 6 PM to 8 PM to lauinch the campaign. Customers will get 20% off the new collection and the chance to hear a set from an exceptionally fine International Superstar DJ if only for a couple of hours. Will Gisele be there? Not that we have heard, but stranger things have been known to happen, and it wouldn't be a bad idea if she is serious about this singing thing. In any event, all revenue from the single (available exclusively on iTunes) to UNICEF's ongoing education initiatives. Judge Gisele's newfound talents for yourself in the video after the jump

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Alexander Wang Is This Fall's Big H&M Designer Collaboration

Does The Shophhound ever post on a Sunday?
Almost never, but every now and then something happens over the weekend that merits immediate response, especially with a media cycle that would make it old news by tomorrow morning. It was inevitable that, at some point, Instagram would be used to make a Momentous Fashion Announcement, and so it happened late yesterday that Alexander Wang (pictured at left) used his hitherto little used account to post a video (embedded below) telling the world that he would be collaborating this Fall with H&M to launch a capsule collection for Women and Men set to stores on November 7th.
Of course, he posted it from Coachella. On a Saturday.

While most of us know we may never make it to the ultra-hyped California music festival that has become an extended Comic-Con of sorts for the ineffably cool, we will probably get a easier chance to buy Wang's collaboration line which will be available in 250 H&M stores around the word as well as through the retailer's web store —which we finally have here in the U.S. “I am honored to be a part of H&M’s designer collaborations," the designer says in a subsequent press release, "The work with their team is an exciting, fun process. They are very open to push boundaries and to set a platform for creativity. This will be a great way for a wider audience to experience elements of the Alexander Wang brand and lifestyle.” For H&M's part, creative advisor Margareta van den Bosch says, “Alexander Wang is one of the most important voices in fashion today. He understands exactly what people want to wear and does it with an energy and passion that’s infectious. It feels incredible to be collaborating with him this year.” No other details about the offerings have been released yet, although we expect they will trickle out throughout the summer. Given Wang's ever expanding popularity, however, we suggest you start planning your shopping strategy right now. We are anticipating one of the strongest public responses to this line as H&M has had for several seasons, so brace yourselves, and consider investing in a bit of camping equipment if you want to be first in line.

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: David Beckham Brings His Bathing Suits To H&M (Including Pictures)

It's finally Spring, so it's about time for more pictures of David Beckham wearing something skimpy. Having garnered lots of attention for himself with his provocative Super Bowl ad, the soccer star has returned to expand his offerings at H&M with a new collection of men's swimwear. It's only logical that he would expand his brand in this direction. After all, it's kind of like underwear, just in different fabrics. There are three styles including a swimshort (pictured above), a boardshort and a sexy trunk available in the crisp, white color that tabloid readers will recognize as Beckham's personal favorite. The line bows at H&M on May 22, so that gives you a few more weeks to get that beach body in shape. See more of the collection in our gallery below.

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FAST FLAGSHIP: H&M's & Other Stories Heads To SoHo

So many shoppers are disappointed that the first U.S. COS store has been pushed to the Fall, but the consolation prize is that H&M's other offshoot chain & Other Stories will be joining it in SoHo. New s broke to breathless fashion blogs today that though the fledgling chain is barely a year old, it has been deemed ready for a stateside launch. Already available in 10 European countries, & Other Stories will also be offering e-commerce to the U.S. along with the retail rollout. Where does this latest chain fit in with the hierarchy? Pricewise, it falls somewhere between the mothership and COS, so comparable to Madewell? Like J.Crew's offshoot, this one is for women only at this point, and will open its doors right next to Prada in 6,400 square feet at 575 Broadway according to the poromo image above. Stylewise, it has been compared to Acne Studios and Opening Ceremony's house brand, so we can expect a bit more of the quirky sportswear style that Stockholm has become famous for. Editors and international bloggers have been raving about the chain for the past year, so there will be plenty of excited potential customers by the time opening day rolls around. What with the massive Herald Center takeover, upcoming Fifth Avenue brand palace and these new launches set for later in the year, H&M is taking over Manhattan, and we haven't even heard about its big Fall designer collaboration —yet.

BREAKING: H&M's & Other Stories Brand Is Opening in NYC (Racked)