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Get Ready For A Lot Of Prints In H&M’s Latest Designer Collab

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Hot on the heels of Balmania, H&M announced its latest designer collaboration. This time, the Swedish retailer will be teaming up with French fashion house Kenzo. Mark your calendars: The launch date is set for November 3, 2016.
You can get a taste of what to expect from the collaboration (read: prints on prints on prints — oh, and did we mention prints?) in a teaser video released by H&M. The collection, which will include womenswear, menswear, and accessories, will be designed by Kenzo creative directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim (who joined the house in 2011 after founding Opening Ceremony in 2002) in collaboration with the fast fashion brand's design team.
It's expected to land in 250 stores internationally and online at the beginning of November. But prior to the official release date, the brand will stage an undoubtedly star-studded show in October, the location of which has not yet been revealed. (Remember when Jourdan, Gigi, and Kendall hit the catwalk for Balmain x H&M, accompanied by a surprise performance by the Backstreet Boys, in October 2015?) Judging by the spectacle and creativity of Kenzo's Paris Fashion Week shows, this will be just as epic as Olivier Rousteing's New York fête.
Though Kenzo is adored for its youthful energy and dynamic designs, don’t expect this collaboration to be as OTT as Rousteing’s partnership with H&M. "Balmain was glamorous and sexy, and this is vibrant, young, and fun," Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M's creative advisor, explained in a statement. "We can’t wait to share with everyone the world of Kenzo x H&M, with all of its fun and love of fashion."
Leon and Kim are longtime fans (collectors, even) of the fast fashion retailer's designer pair-ups, apparently: "To us, the H&M collaborations have always felt like celebrations of the brands they’ve done them with," Leon told Vogue. "They’ve done them so well. We’re fans of all of them — the Viktor & Rolf, the Margiela. They’re so iconic. What Olivier [from Balmain] did was really fun. And we remember buying when H&M did the first one with Karl Lagerfeld. I still own those pieces."
With an H&M collaboration archive featuring steals from Stella McCartney and Versace to Roberto Cavalli and Marni, we’re looking forward to adding to our collection with new pieces from one of our favorite design duos as soon as the collection hits stores later this year. See you in line.
And in the meantime, click on to see the Kenzo pieces we're predicting will be reinterpreted for the racks of H&M (and at a much lower price, we hope).
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