H&M has confirmed the opening date for its first New Zealand store, Saturday October 1.
The Swedish chain store will open at Auckland’s Sylvia Park, with a two-level store housing collections for women, men, teens and children. The offering will also include the premium H&M Studio collection for autumn/winter 2016, designed in house at the brand’s Stockholm headquarters and showcased at Paris Fashion Week in February.
“We are excited to be making progress on our arrival in New Zealand and look forward to welcoming customers through the doors at H&M Sylvia Park,” says Daniel Lattemann, country sales manager for H&M New Zealand.
The retailer is the second largest in the world, with more than 3500 stores in 57 countries, and is well-known for its fast fashion approach and designer collaborations with the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Versace and Balmain. The latest is a forthcoming collection with Kenzo, launching in selected stores and online on November 3.
Speaking to H&M upon the announcement, Kenzo creative directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim were aware of the success that’s come before them. “Obviously, we’re the latest in a line of a lot of incredible people,” says Carol. “We were like, ‘We’re in great company!’”
“We like to make sure each piece [in the collection] has its own value and feels special, but at the same time that the collection as a whole feels really united,” said Humberto. “That means people should be as excited to own a T-shirt as they are to own a dress. Each piece should feel deliberate.”
Celebrity collaborations with the likes of Beyonce, Madonna and David Beckham and its sponsorship of the Swedish Olympic team uniforms have also helped propel the brand into the minds of millions of consumers.
Like many brands today navigating the sensitive aspects of trying to run a more ethical and sustainable business, the company has gone to great lengths to transform its approach to its production, in response to increasing demand from consumers demanding better transparency.
READ: What's So Good About Zara?
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Advertise with NZME.But that has been met with criticism of greenwashing by some, with the Guardian writing in April about the brand's World Recycling Week, which aimed to collect at least 1000 tons of unwanted garments. Technical problems with commercial fibre recycling means that only a small percentage of recycled yarn is used in new garments - with the main argument being that 1000 tons equated to the same amount of clothes produced by H&M in just two days.
The debate will continue, however the brand’s efforts to change public perception has not gone unnoticed. In 2015, more than 12,000 tons of textile waste was collected in stores, and over 1.3 million pieces were made with closed-loop material (recycling and rescuing post-consumer waste into new product), a 300 per cent increase from the previous year.
Unlike some of its competition, H&M also lists 98.5 per cent of its supplier names and addresses of its first tier suppliers, along with the names of fabric and yarn suppliers, 50 per cent of who produce pieces by the hand.
H&M New Zealand will be located at Sylvia Park in Auckland. Doors will open to the public at 10am on Saturday October 1, with pre-launch excitement building from 7am.
It is set to be one of several big openings in Auckland this year, with a Chanel fragrance and beauty boutique opening in Britomart this week, and stores from Tiffany & Co. and Zara to come.
