H&M’s Hot New Collaboration with a Top Designer Builds Anticipation

Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing and H&M have collaborated on a young-at-heart collection scheduled to go on sale Thursday, November 5, in H&M stores everywhere. At the Billboard Music Awards in May, Rousteing, Kendall Jenner and Jourdan Dunn gave the public a look at the collection, making the items must-haves at the top of many shopping lists. 

Rousteing took over Balmain in 2011, at the precocious age of 26, and the rest is history. The designer says that when he thinks of the aesthetic of Balmain, he thinks of a time when women were strong, when they possessed a beautiful postwar silhouette. Although he continues to honor the craftsmanship and tradition of Balmain with this line. “H&M is a brand that everybody connects to,” he says. “It calls for unity, and I am all for it.”

The French creative director says he is ready to begin a new movement: #HMBalmaination. “I want to talk to my generation. This is my main aim as a designer,” he says.

Rousteing’s handiwork was on display at the recent Balmain x H&M show in New York, where models made their way down a glamorized subway terminal to an underground city. The night ended with a performance from 1990s boyband Backstreet Boys, who were covered head to toe in Balmain x H&M.

The men’s and women’s Balmain x H&M collection will be available in 250 H&M stores worldwide (and online), and will include clothing and accessories for men and women, with prices ranging from $18 to more than $500. Check out these photos for a look at Balmain x H&M.