Stella McCartney for H&M
I don't know if this is already posted or whereelse to post it , if this is the wrong forum , so please move it away.I'm looking forward to see her collection
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000085&sid=aJxlyxrn5eyc
H&M Hires Stella McCartney to Design a Collection (Update5)
May 11 (Bloomberg) -- Hennes & Mauritz AB, Europe's largest clothing retailer, hired Stella McCartney to create a collection for women in an effort to halt a decline in same-store sales.
H&M will sell clothes designed by the 33-year-old daughter of Paul McCartney in November, the Stockholm-based retailer said today in a statement. A collection by Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld in 2004 sold out within hours at some stores, helping H&M's revenue grow at the fastest monthly pace in two years.
``She's well recognized as one of the up-and-coming designers,'' said Rebecca McClellan, an analyst at Exane BNP Paribas in London with an ``outperform'' rating on the stock. ``She has a bias toward younger fashion, and that fits in pretty well with H&M.''
Chief Executive Rolf Eriksen, 60, has said his biggest challenge this year is boosting H&M's same-store sales and that he aims to repeat the Lagerfeld performance with other designers. Stella McCartney's clothes will be sold in stores across Europe and North America.
H&M is trying to develop its brand so the company can maintain or raise prices as cheaper Chinese textiles lead to more competition, Exane's McClellan said. H&M last month held a fashion show in New York City's Central Park and hired Italian designer Elio Fiorucci to develop a range of swimwear.
Shares of H&M fell 2.5 kronor, or 1 percent, to 250.5 kronor in Stockholm. The stock closed at 264 kronor, a five-year record, on April 15.
Gucci Venture
The Lagerfeld collection helped boost H&M's sales by 24 percent in November 2004. H&M's profit in the three months through that month rose 22 percent, also lifted by better inventory management, as cooler weather in Europe increased demand for jackets and coats.
McCartney started a joint venture with Gucci Group NV in 2001 that sells women's clothing, accessories and perfumes. She graduated in 1995 from London's Central St. Martins College of Art & Design and her final-year collection was bought by retailers such as Neiman Marcus.
McCartney's move to follow Lagerfeld's designing stint for H&M echoes a past career move: She succeeded the German designer as creative director of the house of Chloe in 1997.
``Chloe should have taken a big name,'' Lagerfeld said at the time, according to Hello magazine. ``They did, but in music, not fashion.''
Camisoles, Trouser-suits
McCartney's work at Chloe became known for ``delicate camisoles and Nineties updates of the Seventies trouser-suit,'' according to Vogue magazine's Web site.
Exane's McClellan said H&M probably is spending less to hire McCartney than Lagerfeld because ``Stella is not as iconic as Karl Lagerfeld.''
H&M sold Lagerfeld party dresses for $99.90 and wool coats for as low as $129. Chanel jackets by Lagerfeld, who has worked for the fashion house for two decades, normally start at about $2,250, while suits are priced from about $4,000.
``The price level of the garments in the Stella McCartney collection will actually be in the H&M price range,'' said Annacarin Bjoerne, a spokeswoman for the retailer. She said it's ``too early'' to say if prices will be similar to the Lagerfeld line.