Source: Le Rue Vif

After disappointing the market last summer with a lower than expected rise in quarter sales, H&M hopes to boost its image by announcing a new collaboration with the fashion house Versace. The line will feature women’s wear as well as men’s wear and a select line of home decor as well as a pre-spring online collection, available starting January 19, 2012.

H&M had its first collaboration with Karl Lagerfield in 2004, followed by the 2005 Stella McCartney line and the 2007 Roberto Cavalli collaboration, both of which garnered extensive media attention. The Jimmy Choo collaboration in 2009 was the most successful, while its 2006 Viktor & Rolf line, 2008 Comme des Garcons collection and 2010 collaboration with Lanvin all were much quieter affairs.

Anne Critchlow, analyst for La Societe Generale, comments that the new H&M line will “garner media attention, but will not move the share price to a great extent due to the designer collaboration’s tendencies to sell out in a very short amount of time”.

The new line is set to open in November.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

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