H&M unveils Giambattista Valli lookbook, opens debut Belarus store

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 7, 2019

Given H&M’s massive size, it’s no surprise that the Swedish fashion retailer has an endless stream of news and there are two major developments to share today, one on the style front and one about a new country debut.

The company has released the lookbook for its Giambattista Valli designer collaboration that launches in-store and online next month.

It’s the latest in a succession of designer deals for the retailer, but it’s the first one that also came with a pre-collection that was unveiled earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival. The response to that, and the lively eBay trade in the items that made up the collection, suggest that the November launch will create a big impact.

It’s particularly significant too because of Valli’s regular profile as an ultra-luxury designer and because he hasn’t done menswear before. 

The collection itself is a mix of day and evening pieces with a very distinctive Valli edge. There are the expected tulle dresses with his signature hi-lo hem, but also some outerwear and tops featuring old-master floral and figurative prints. The sweats and tees with logos are ultra-practical and on-trend, but a pearl-embellished hoodie gives a clear indication of Valli’s wider occasion dressing focus. There’s also a lip motif running through the accessories offer with minbag-purses and footwear featuring the design.

The lookbook was shot in Giambattista Valli's home city, Rome, by Kyle Weeks with styling by Giovanna Battaglia Engelbert. Models Oslo Grace, Leslye Houenou, Mara Kasanpawiro, Kohei Takabatake, Luka Isaac and Tom Rey make up the cast.

Meanwhile, the company also said that its eponymous brand has opened in Belarus. While H&M said with its Q3 results last week that it would be opening fewer physical stores than expected in the year ahead, the company is still opening stores at a fairly fast pace and Belarus is yet another ticked box in its aim to operate just about everywhere.

The store saw a queue before it opened with some people having been in line for 20 hours to access giveaways like gift cards.