Designer collaborations of a high/low orientation have been all the rage for a while now. The shopping public waits with bated breath for news of who the next partner will be at retail giants like H&M, Target and Top Shop, which have been at the helm of this movement. They bring highly designed to the masses at an affordable price point. This morning H&M unveiled the next designer collaboration in what has been an exciting series of exclusive collections for them. Lanvin, the Parisian powerhouse considered on of the most influential brands of the 21st century, will create an exclusive collection of both womenswear and menswear that will sell in around 200 H&M stores beginning Nov. 20.

Designed by Lanvin’s artistic director Alber Elbaz and menswear designer Lucas Ossendrijver, the pieces will be executed in such a fashion that they will touch on what Elbaz describes as “the idea of H&M going luxury rather than Lanvin going public.”

Many were shocked to learn that Lanvin would go mass-market after past commentaries to the contrary; but Elbaz likens the “exceptional experience” to a sort of opposites attract notion of coming together [from different perspectives] with a common goal: “Two companies at opposite poles can work together because we share the same philosophy of bringing joy and beauty to men and women around the world.”

The pieces have yet to be revealed, but Margareta van den Bosch, creative advisor at H&M, gives us a little insight, admitting that, “Lanvin brings to H&M a luxurious French tradition that is also modern and playful.” The result is “very much a Lanvin collection, using their cut and tailoring, with lots of focus on form and details.”

Lanvin joins the family of H&M collaborators, which thus far puts them in the good company of such design talents as Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Comme des Garçons and Sonia Rykiel.

The twist: Lanvin for H&M collection will be revealed to the world through film.

The film will be available for all to see online at www.hm.com on Nov. 2.