Supreme Does H&M X Lanvin:What plan?
A blockbuster movie and a half, a trip to Vietnam, midnight tresses to blonde. Three examples of four-hour pockets well spent. In my busy schedule, an idle hour is wasted opportunity. Deadline driven, I run on eight-hour shut-eyes, Berocca, and jugs of water. I would like to say that I function on a steady diet of caffeine and nicotine fixes, but I’m not that cool. Point is, Tuesday found me killing that which is the most crucial to me, four hours outside H&M, waiting for the Lanvin collaboration to create fashion pandemonium.
The power of a great collaboration lies in the marriage of a volume-churning mass retailer with a cult designer brand that’s only aspirational for most people. Previous labels to work with the Swedish fast fashion chain: Roberto Cavalli in 2007, Comme des Garcons in 2008, Jimmy Choo in 2009. The brand’s signature look in a price range that doesn’t make you roll your eyes in disbelief is enough for anyone to start bubbling in the mouth. With a distribution in over 2,000 outlets worldwide, the featured designer is also introduced to a massive new spending demographic. A win-win situation for both, really, while for us consumers, it’s an irresistible new created need. And since it’s only a capsule collection, with no second deliveries or replenishments — literally one-offs sold on the floor — diehard style enthusiasts or business-minded opportunists are all in a pseudo calm before the storm.
Although there weren’t any broken bones and bloodied bodies in the aftermath, there were a lot of disappointments and broken defeat. The men’s area, which wasn’t color coded and organized in shopping segments like the women’s, was razed in five minutes. It only took 10 seconds for us to get to the second floor but that was already too much time wasted. I guess maybe we should have run? National Geographic should have documented it and included it in Great Migrations. I swear, it was like a swarm of fashion locusts, feasting on style crops that left the floor desolate and barren. The empty rails looked freakishly forlorn, cue cricket sounds and rolling tumbleweeds. Even the display mannequins weren’t spared, they were stripped and ravaged.
I’ve never been to an H&M collab opening, let alone line up in cold weather, waiting without WiFi. I love Comme des Garcons, but Rei’s aesthetic doesn’t call much to the mainstream hence the not-so-hectic floor activity. And I’m not a big Jimmy Choo fan, although the H&M sales associate said that was even crazier. But Lanvin, oh yes, I’m a Fan with a capital “F”! Signature statement jewelry and volumized frocks front and center. Hence the four-hour, kill-me-now, waiting-in-vain moment. I should have researched how to go about shopping but sadly, I wasn’t prepared. But at least now I live to tell the tale. Here are some tips if ever I want to do that again.
One, line up patiently with movies. We were actually hesitant in doing the early queue, because really, who does that? But it paid off, I was number 104, and with that came two pairs of shoes in my size, a bag, and pieces that I really wanted and not just back-ups. Two, once in, grab everything you can get your hands on even if it’s not your size, you can use it as trading chips for the style and correct size with other shoppers when the frenzy is over. Three, know which specific pieces you want beforehand because the time limit is only 10 minutes. If you still have to do that internal debate of whether you should or shouldn’t, other pieces are being snapped up and hoarded.
2,500 listings in eBay are enough proof that business-minded opportunists are in it as well. But honestly, that sort of defeats the purpose of getting those pieces for a steal. When the hype settles and the bragging rights get tired, there are newer things to fixate on and obsess about (Karl Lagerfeld for Macy’s?). Although still, it is lesser of a fraction than the real deal. And, you don’t even have to wait in line for it. Just pay double or triple though. To each his own.
But what an experience. Even now, I can’t help but shake my head in disbelief when I look back. I’ve never had that insane panic-driven mob attack of blatant label whorism until now. Not so sure if I want to do it again, but I will if it were H&M remixes with the following: Givenchy, Rick Owens and Alexander Wang. And just like the trippy video that came with the launch — Natasha Poly’s thought balloon of “I want Lanvin and not flowers,” I want more sleep, a chance to re-think my strategy for getting the best men’s pieces, and I want more collaborations.
