Rei Kawakubo / Comme des Garcons for H&M Designer Collection

[Scott]

yeah it's missy rayder...younger sis of frankie. she's the better model,imo.

[lucy92]

i read somewhere that H&M is imposing a two-item per garment limit for every shopper...

i dont think that's going to stop the ebay vultures.

[lucy92]

the CDG line will be sold in two days at tokyo H&M's new harajuku store (they already have one in ginza)

according to businessweek...

"Two days before the opening, people were already starting to camp outside the second H&M store in Tokyo's Harajuku neighborhood, an area popular with the younger set.
The latest -- 30 women's items and 20 men's items by Kawakubo's Comme des Garcons, mostly in her signature black but some in polka dot -- were timed with the Harajuku opening, but they will also be sold at 200 H&M shops around the world.
H&M refused to say how many of each item will be available, but it's expecting a sellout.
Jorgen Andersson, who oversees brand and new businesses, said H&M tries to bring together exclusivity and mass-market products.
"H&M is making it possible for designers to reach out to normal people on the street, the man or the woman who can't or won't spend a fortune on clothes," he said. "We have a democratic approach to fashion."

[Scott]

hahaha...its just so funny and ironic to me as in a way its the same if it were marc jacobs doing this for target or GAP. i mean in japan they treat the indies and the more experimental like we westerners treat the more commercial. but i can't for the life of me understand why anybody there would actually camp for this as i see so many of the japanese wearing the genuine,signature works. WHY?? if i had the real thing at my disposal and the money to boast,i certainly wouldn't blow it on this. they can be such label wh*res,in a twisted sort of way

[emailme.]

Originally Posted by lucy92

i read somewhere that H&M is imposing a two-item per garment limit for every shopper...

i dont think that's going to stop the ebay vultures.

yeah i think it shouldnt have been revealed until you get into the store.

[MulletProof]

I'm really wondering what it will be like in Los Angeles. I don't think I can go on a thursday but I don't want to risk my chances.. do you guys think the collection will survive by saturday?, there must be a certain clientele in LA for these kind of lines I suppose, I can't picture them too wild for it.. but you never know..

How long do they usually take to bring some more merchandise once the items are sold out, anyone knows?.

[mishahoi]

Originally Posted by loverunway

There's a preview for people at 9pm the night before where they'll get a chance to buy some things but that's only if you have a ticket :/

I imagine this is false information. We had a preview in Tokyo as well, but NO ONE was allowed to touch the CDG stuff.

Also, the businessweek article doesn`t quite grasp the scope of it...there were people waiting in line since *tuesday* for a *saturday* opening.
http://jcreport.com/blog/061108/cdg-mania-hm-harajuku

While at the press interviews the higher-ups at H&M were giving today for the new Harajuku store opening, I heard a rumor that some people were already lining up for the Comme des Garcons collaboration pieces which go on sale Saturday. I happened to be in the area at 11pm this evening and sure enough there were two women camped out in front of the store.
Enter Hanami Suzuki and her mother, who are part of a group of six who have been taking turns in line since 10pm on Tuesday.
"I am a big Rei Kawakubo fan. And it`s just such a great price!" Hanami says.
But why get such a big head start on waiting?
"I don't know my size so I need to be able to grab every size so I can
try them on first."
Their biggest concern is "not to be a nuiscance to staff, pedestrians, and others who want to wait in line."
And taking advantage of being first? "We will only buy what we need, we'll put everything back so everyone who waits has a fair chance of getting something."
Aw, CDG bringing happiness and peace to the world, one deconstructed skirt at a time.

[vetements]

Originally Posted by Scott

hahaha...its just so funny and ironic to me as in a way its the same if it were marc jacobs doing this for target or GAP. i mean in japan they treat the indies and the more experimental like we westerners treat the more commercial. but i can't for the life of me understand why anybody there would actually camp for this as i see so many of the japanese wearing the genuine,signature works. WHY?? if i had the real thing at my disposal and the money to boast,i certainly wouldn't blow it on this. they can be such label wh*res,in a twisted sort of way

scott,
totally agree on this.
full price cdg signature here is priced lower than anywhere in the world i believe.
still, even younger people here dont blink an eye paying $2000 on a jacket and stuff, so i ll say this is hype more than anything else, which is successful for H&M, the reason why they decided to launch this in Tokyo for

[JuiceMajor]

Getting closer!

[BerlinRocks]

the tv commercials on french tv can be watched at big prime-time hours .... like noon, evening. a sthg like 10sec. commercial .... (just to say it : stella mccartney and karl lagerfeld commercials were in a way better than this .... certainly because they managed to catch the "spirit" of the label. but there it's the adprint campain with sound and i think the spots moving. the music reminds a sort of electronica-soap-bubbling explosion ... boring. really. and i'm not sure it really catch cdg's "spirit")

oh and earlier this week, i heard 3 15-16 young girls talking about the collection. they were really excited and pretty much know about CDG. i think i didn't know that much about cdg at this age. they knew some older collections, the fact it's rei k. one said "comme des" ...

i think it's gonna work. seriously. at least in france.

does someone know the figures for the past h&m collaborations ? or is it pretty much secret ?

[lucy92]

i think its kind of humiliating and degrading to be waiting in line like this....

i mean i felt stupid waiting in line for the viktor and rolf collaboration. i felt like one of the world's biggest chumps. and i was only in line for 20 minutes....

i might theoretically wait in line overnight for beatles tickets, but not anything at H&M anymore.

it seems every year H&M wants the lines to be longer and the hype to increase. every year the decrease the number of stores the collections are in.

and i think they want people to pay double for the items on ebay as well, because then the high prices get reported in the tabloids like daily mail or serious newspapers like the new york times. it makes great press for H&M.

[Boluda]

^
so you're in boston and you waited in line for the previous collection?

i just want to know what the reaction will be like in the mid-sized cities aka NOT ny, tokyo or paris.

im in montreal and i just cannot imagine the CDG collection going out of stock within 2 hours..but i could be wrong.

[lucy92]

the only states that H&M is doing this collection in is illinois, NY and california (not my state). and only certain stores in those cities are getting the full collection.

there are photos and videos of the long lines and crowds outside the H&M in japan on H&M's website.

[JuiceMajor]

The polka dot scarf is retail at £34.99. I can't see myself buying a lot from this collection but we will see!

[Scott]

lucy,i cannot agree with you more. i think i would find myself a bit silly queuing for something which in its utter essence is actually just disposable and unforgettable. i mean i like some of the pieces,but they're hardly the treasures her main-line work is like or anything of that level.

i completely agree,vetements. you know,since i've been thinking,and now that its not available in my closest h&m store,just that mere fact would have ultimately made me want to avoid it like the plague. comme or non.