I love H&M – their clothes are cheap, mostly well-made and do not imitate others. They have their own designers who create things which can stand alone and are abreast of and often ahead of trends. The quick turnover of items in their stores and the constant new stock means that you hardly ever see many people wearing the same items. They also have regular designer collaborations with designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Viktor and Rolf, Stella McCartney, Versace, and Matthew Williamson. Their next collaboration will be with Isabel Marant and will be in stores from 14 November 2013.
Some other stores in the chain are the upmarket COS (Collection of Style), the brilliant jean brand, Cheap Monday and Monki.
The H&M group
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB comprises six different independent brands – H&M, COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday and & Other Stories. The H&M Group has a total of approximately 2,900 stores all over the world.
H&M
H&M, which opened its first store in Sweden in 1947, is now represented on more than 40 markets. In a number of countries, the collections are also available online.
H&M’s designers create a broad and diverse range of fashion for men, women, youth and children. In addition to the clothes cosmetics, accessories and home textile products are all part of what H&M has to offer.
COS
Modern, urban and chic. COS offers customers a combination of timelessness and distinctive trends, for both women and men. From quality clothing for work and party-time to carefully selected accessories. All with fashion sensibility down to the smallest detail. COS also offers cute and comfortable fashion for children.
Monki
Monki is synonymous with personal creativity and expression. Here young women can find clothes, accessories and a novel store concept that is its own imaginative world. The stores and monki.com provide innovative collections and an inspiring fashion experience characterised by playfulness and colourful graphic design.
Weekday
Weekday sells its own brands MTWTFSS Weekday, Cheap Monday, Weekday Vintage and Weekday STOREMADE, but also commissions design collaborations with independent fashion labels such as Carin Wester, Bless and Bruno Pieters. Weekday’s stores offer urban fashion for men and women – always at the best price.
Cheap Monday
Cheap Monday combines influences from street fashion and subcultures with a catwalk vibe. Hip men and women come here to find denim, clothing and accessories at a high fashion level and prices accessible to all.
Each season, Cheap Monday holds a catwalk show in Stockholm, Sweden.
FaBric Scandinavien AB
In 2008, H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB acquired 60 percent of the shares in the privately owned Swedish fashion company FaBric Scandinavien AB, which included the brands Monki, Weekday and Cheap Monday. In 2010 the remaining part of the shares were acquired.
& Other Stories
& Other Stories is a fashion brand offering women a wide range of shoes, bags, accessories, beauty and ready-to-wear to create their personal style, or story. The first collections will be launched in stores and online during spring 2013 in selected European countries.
H&M – quick facts
There are around 2,900 H&M stores in more than 40 countries and 104,000 employees all work hard to bring you fashion and quality at the best price.
H&M was established in Västerås, Sweden in1947 by Erling Persson. ‘Hennes’ means ‘hers’ in Swedish and Mauritz was a hunting chain that Persson bought out in the 60s.
H&M brings fashion to women, men, teenagers and children.
The collections are created by 150 in-house designers, together with buyers and pattern makers.
H&M is not just looking for the perfect design, but also works actively to develop a more sustainable chain of design, manufacturing and product handling for both people and the environment.
In 2012, the turnover including VAT was SEK 141 billion.
H&M’s growth target is to increase the number of stores by 10–15 percent per yearand at the same time increase sales in comparable units. The growth is entirely self-financed. Emphasis is always on quality, sustainability and continued high profitability.
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB comprises six different independent brands: H&M, & Other Stories, Cheap Monday, COS, Monki and Weekday.
H&M also sells own-brand cosmetics, accessories, footwear and a textile interiors concept, H&M Home.
Online shopping is available in several European countries and will open in the US.
H&M buys products from around 800 independent suppliers, mainly in Asia and Europe.
H&M is driven by strong values such as belief in people, continuous improvement, team spirit, cost-consciousness, open- mindedness, entrepreneurship and simplicity.
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