SINGAPORE, Nov 4 — You probably saw pictures of the queue outside H&M Orchard Building and Ion Orchard yesterday.

Yes, it is that time of the year when another H&M designer collaboration enters the stores, sparking widespread frenzy among shoppers. 

According to H&M, more than 150 people were in the queue outside the store at Orchard Building before the launch yesterday morning.

But this is a decline in numbers compared to last year’s #HMBalmaination, the H&M collaboration with French designer and creative director of Balmain, Olivier Rousteing, which was a runaway success. 

Shoppers here started queuing three days before the launch to be the first to get into the store, and earlier reports cited that there were about 500 people in the queue at Orchard Building last year.

Perhaps the gloomy weather yesterday might have had something to do with dampening the spirits. 

The Kenzo x H&M collaboration comes directly after the high street brand’s most successful designer collaboration in its history, since it started in 2004 with Karl Lagerfeld. H&M does not reveal overall figures for its collaborations but in a Bloomberg interview last year, its spokesperson, Hacan Andersson, said: “The interest for this (Balmain) launch has exceeded all previous collaborations, both in-store and online.”

Evidently not every H&M collaboration is guaranteed to be a huge hit. For every Alexander Wang or Versace collaboration, which saw phenomenal response, there were others such as the Marni and Maison Martin Margiela collaboration, which received less buzz and demand. 

It was reported in Forbes that there were still outfits from the Maison Martin Margiela collaboration in H&M stores during the Christmas period of 2012, more than a month after the collection was launched.

Hitting the mark 

H&M’s creative adviser, Ann-Sofie Johansson, is unperturbed by the vagaries of consumer demands when it comes to these collaborations. 

She told TODAY that these tie-ups are about giving customers a totally different experience with each collection.

“From the beginning, our collaborations have been about breaking down the walls of fashion, giving people the chance to own clothes by designers they may not usually get to wear,” she explained, adding that H&M is more concerned with bringing designer fashion to new audiences, and the brand aims to surprise them with these collaborations. 

This is also why each designer collaboration is meant to be something unique and distinctively different — from the urban sportiness of Alexander Wang in 2014, to the high voltage glamour of Balmain last year and finally, the playful energy of Kenzo.

H&M’s public relations manager Singapore, Abby Wee, explained that the brand prefers not to compare response and figures when it comes to its designer collaborations. 

“The shopping atmosphere in our stores yesterday was extremely positive and we are very pleased with the response towards our Kenzo x H&M collection. As every designer collaboration is unique and different from one another, we prefer not to compare (it to our) past collaborations,” she said. 

“It is great that we are able to offer a collection designed by Kenzo’s creative advisors Carol Lim and Humberto Leon to our Singapore customers, and we had our first fan queuing up since Tuesday morning at 8am.”

Fashion director of ELLE Singapore, Sharon Tulasidas, observed that whether a collaboration does well depends on whether consumers are already fans of the designer. 

“The Maison Martin Margiela collection saw pieces that were very much a reference to the archives, which can be odd and unwearable to someone unfamiliar with the label. I know of only fashion scribes having bought into that collection,” she said.

Branding expert, Lijun Murray, posits that a designer name alone is not always enough to mean success. 

“There’s no guarantee that a collaboration becomes pure retail gold just because of the halo effect of a powerful name,” said the brand co-ordinating director at Department of Alternatives, a brand management agency. 

“Careful analysis needs to be done to make sure the right product (appealing to the target audience) is launched at the right time and price (during an economic downturn or upturn) with the right volume of products available for sale.”

The current economic outlook may thus have affected demand for the Kenzo x H&M collaboration, which could explain why H&M decided to organise a pop-up showcase at Ion Orchard earlier this week before the launch. 

However, Wee said this is not the first time a local initiative like this has been undertaken. 

H&M organised a “silent manifesto” prior to the Maison Martin Margiela launch, where there was a parade staged along Orchard Road carrying signs with the collaboration logo and launch date. 

“For every collaboration, we hope to translate the essence of the brand to our customers.”

The emotional connection 

Murray notes that generalisations aside, it is not easy to anticipate consumers’ response. 

“Shopping decisions are often emotional,” she explained. 

“We should not underestimate the brand-conscious general consumer. Given the current economic climate, these affordable branded pieces might be even more appealing. The general consumer would likely view these pieces as good value, as these high-fashion brands that are otherwise out of their reach, are suddenly more accessible.”

Another big factor in the success of the Balmain tie-up last year stemmed from the Instagram effect — social media darlings Kim Kardashian and half sisters Kylie and Kendall Jenner promoted the collection and designer heavily to their massive followings.

Even though the Kenzo x H&M collaboration may lack the heavyweights involved in the Balmain collaboration, Johansson revealed that it is exciting that social media has been abuzz with talk of customers who love the attitude of Kenzo x H&M and its positive message of diversity.

This collaboration is definitely H&M’s most diverse yet. Creative directors of Kenzo, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, have used models such as 61-year-old Iman, who discusses her work as an activist for refugees, as well Vietnamese rapper Suboi. 

“Diversity is something that’s totally natural to us,” shared Lim. 

“Everything we’ve ever done has been about bringing different people and cultures together, from the very first concept for Opening Ceremony (which the duo started). We’re really proud to be able to use Kenzo x H&M to spread a message of diversity, and to give a platform to such amazing artists.”

The duo are just as sanguine about fronting a high-end brand like Kenzo, preferring to have fun and push the boundaries when it comes to fashion. 

They commissioned writer and comedian Carrie Brownstein to produce a darkly comical short film, Realest Real, for Kenzo’s autumn 2016 collection, and worked with electrifying master creator and photographer, Jean-Paul Goude, who shot the campaign and created seven exclusive Kenzo x H&M windows in cities such as Milan, New York and Tokyo. 

“We’re never precious about fashion,” declared Leon. 

“We think people should have fun with what they wear, and that also goes for the way that we communicate as a brand. For us, fashion is part of a wider cultural dialogue.”

Simply put, the fact that you’re now paying attention to a Vietnamese rapper you have never heard of or relooking at storied brand Kenzo’s prints in a new light counts for much more. 

Whether a collaboration is spectacularly and commercially successful is really besides the point, isn’t it? — TODAY