This is the first time that interviews with the designers collaborating with H&M are not conducted in the Swedish brand’s Paris offices. “In fact, all the fittings have been done here,” says Ann-Sophie Johansson, H&M’s design director. She is referring to Elie Saab’s atelier, where this conversation takes place. An impressive space that, like all the great Haute Couture workshops, is located near the Champs-Élysées. “We proposed it a year ago because we believe it is the perfect moment for this collaboration. Right now, we need escapism and beauty in the world,” she explains.
Saab (Beirut, 1964) started his bridal dress business during the Lebanese civil war. His talent for blending the local artisanal techniques with the demands of European clientele first led him to show in Milan and later, in 2003, to become the first non-European designer to enter the exclusive Paris Haute Couture calendar. It is this elitist handmade business and, of course, his omnipresence on red carpets that has allowed him, for more than four decades, to maintain a million-dollar business that today also markets accessories, jewelry, fragrances, and even children’s clothing, that is, pieces at different price ranges that become desirable precisely because they exude the identity marks of his Haute Couture. “Right now our development of prêt à porter is huge worldwide,” admits the designer, sitting next to his son, Elie Saab Jr., who is precisely responsible for business development. “Maybe that’s why this collaboration with H&M comes at the perfect time, yes, because it is a way to reach many more people without losing identity,” says the latter.
The collaboration includes garments for both genders and accessories, ranging from basics like sweatshirts to his famous party pieces. 35 women’s pieces, six men’s, and about ten accessories, including footwear. “Actually, we developed it as we would any collection, thinking about the usual demands of our clientele,” explains Saab. In fact, all his identity marks are present, from gradient sequins to draping or lace. The Lebanese designer explains that the Swedish brand “has not said no to any technique or idea,” and that perhaps the only creative change is that there are more black pieces than usual: “because we didn’t want to think about specific seasons but about a real wardrobe, and in the end what you find in any wardrobe is the color black,” he says.
Obviously, the big difference in the collaboration is the price. An Elie Saab haute couture piece reaches five figures and sometimes six. Here, the garments range from 29.99 to 399 euros. “In the end, we are a brand that makes people dream, so I feel very proud of the idea that now anyone can have one of our pieces,” the designer says. “Also, we have 45 years of life, but you would be surprised by the number of young people who come to see us or talk about us now. I think it’s because of what we said before: we need to dream of beautiful things, especially young people, of course, because in the end it is a way to face the world and beauty is a universal language,” he says.
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Ann Sophie Johansson believes, in fact, that the success of collaborations between H&M and prestigious designers (an initiative that began back in 2004, when the textile brand partnered with Karl Lagerfeld) has to do with knowing how to choose the right creator at the right time. Sometimes they opt for more conceptual or avant-garde identities, others for more basic and recognizable designs, and occasionally, few times, to unleash luxury and glamour in the most classic sense. This collaboration, which includes tuxedos, dresses with trains, and even a lace cape, is one of those moments. Also a moment for H&M to be present on the red carpets. “We’ll see how we do it, but yes, it’s the moment. And it’s also for anyone who wants to have their own ‘red carpet’ moment.” Perhaps, after these years in which the narrative of luxury and sophistication has gone hand in hand with minimalism, the time has come to cultivate the process of dressing up again.
*The Elie Saab and H&M collection will be available on the brand’s website and selected stores on October 22.
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