Rei Kawakubo is Latest H&M Collaborator

by Jarrett Martineau | April 4, 2008 at 05:03 pm

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H&M continues to pick some incedibly inspired couture minds to produce mini-exclusive collections for the savvy Swedish retailer.

After a string of sell-out successes with designers like Victor & Rolf and Roberto Cavalli, it was announced today that renegade seamstress Rei Kawakubo -- the founder of Comme des Garçons -- will design a line for H&M to be released in Japan.

Fingers crossed some of these pieces make their way across the Pacific and beyond!

PARIS — Bridging the gulf between conceptual fashion and the mass market, H&M has tapped Rei Kawakubo to collaborate on a collection for holiday retailing.

"Mentally, I will not change my approach," the maverick Japanese designer behind Comme des Garçons told WWD. "But since the object of the exercise is to join the forces of creativity with business, the collection will reflect this."
The one time Comme des Garçons for H&M collection will be unveiled in Tokyo in early November as the Swedish fast-fashion giant continues its global advance and plants its first stores in Japan: a 10,000-square-foot unit in Tokyo's Ginza district and a 16,000-square-foot location in hypertrendy Harajuku.

The firm also signed a lease for a 30,000-square-foot megastore in the Shibuya area, which is slated to open in fall 2009, according to an H&M spokeswoman.