H&M to show see-now-buy-now at Paris Fashion Week

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Feb 8, 2018

H&M Studio will be showing both its womenswear and menswear collections at Paris Fashion Week later this month, with a see-now-buy-now event that will act as a giant marketing campaign for the label.

The SS18 show will happen at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs on rue de Rivoli on February 28. The clothing, shoes and accessories will be available to buy online directly after the show and will drop into selected stores around the world from March 1.

Clearly this event will be more about creating buzz than a big reveal of the looks as the company this week released advance lookbook imagery of the collections it will be showing on the runway in just under three weeks’ time.

And that approach underscores the marketing element that has been added to Fashion Month events in recent seasons. We’ve already seen, with labels such as Burberry, Tommy Hilfiger and Topshop, how some major Fashion Month shows are now more about speaking directly to the consumer than the traditional purpose of runway shows, which was to unveil collections to buyers and press. And H&M was clearly pleased with the impact on sales made by this approach for its debut see-now-buy-now Paris show last year. 

It’s also taking its awareness-building activity further this time and after showing at the museum, it will be sponsoring a major exhibition about Japan there later this year. The exhibition will celebrate 150 years of cultural exchange between France and Japan, and will explore Japan’s influence in Western culture. Expect that link-up to also influence product further down the line.

Meanwhile the SS18 collection itself features “clean silhouettes with a relaxed vibe and a touch of workwear influence.” The womenswear focuses on head-to-toe prints and bright colours with flowing full-length dresses, easy tunics worn over trousers, utilitarian tailoring and statement knits. The menswear “elevates classic pieces such as the tailored jacket, shirting and the crewneck jumper by playing around with silhouettes, colour and luxe fabrications.”

The lookbook images have been photographed on big-name models Saskia de Brauw and Clement Chabernaud, plus rising star Shanelle Nyasiase.