ISABEL MARANT X H&M
“I borrow some of [my husband’s] clothes too; I think it is very contemporary to share the same closet."
- Isabel Marant
On Thursday, November 14, H&M released its much anticipated collaboration with Parisian designer Isabel Marant. This was not H&M’s first collaboration with a big fashion house, as it has previously teamed up Maison Martin Margiela and Marni to produce unique pieces. The intention was to create designer pieces at a more reasonable price and quality. These collections get a lot of exposure and excite many fashion junkies. Although the pieces do cost less, they still have a level of exclusivity to them since the most desirable pieces are usually gone by the second day of their release.
Isabel Marant is a fairly new designer, having founded her fashion house in 1994. She is known for her bohemian aesthetic & boyish clothing lines, but has never actually designed men’s clothing. She shares her closet with her husband, who sometimes borrows her sweaters and jeans. Even as a child, she often borrowed her father’s old dress shirts and wore them with slippers, or redesigned his old jumpers into dresses.
At first, she had not originally planned to become a designer. She only started sewing because she could not find any clothes that pleased her in stores. Her friends started to ask her to make clothes for them, and by the age of 16, she had made enough earnings selling her pieces that she decided to drop economics after high school. Instead, she took up design at the prestigious Studio Berçot fashion school in Paris. Marant worked with various influential fashion houses such as Chloé, Martine Sitbon & Yohji Yamamoto.
For H&M’s collaboration, however, she ventures off into the world of menswear, creating a line with separate men’s and women’s collections. H&M has released pictures of the full collection. They breathe easiness and attitude. Marant succeeds in making over-sized casual t-shirts chic. It would be unfair to call the collection minimalistic, as every embroidery or colour-way is carefully crafted. Some of her inspiration stems from early childhood trips to Asia, Africa, India and the Caribbean, explaining her more tribal prints and colour choices.
What we love the most about this collection is the wearibility and diversity of each piece. Most pieces can be worn either day or night, at virtually any occasion. We would not limit ourselves to the women’s collection either. Many of the men’s pieces are equally desirable and suitable for both sexes. “It was a translation of my womenswear,” said Marant about her menswear line. She constantly clashes men’s fashion and women’s fashion, almost blurring the line between what is acceptable for men and what is acceptable for women. She breaks the image of what society thinks a woman should be, and contributes to creating equality among the sexes. A woman does not always need to wear a fitted dress or corset top to be a woman.
Comments
Serena Bruzzese
November 22, 2013This is a great article. Personally, I love shopping at H&M and I love their new line. I didn’t know about the new designer but after reading this and learning about the type of clothing she designs, it makes sense that those type of clothes are sold at H&M and are becoming more and more popular. I like that she mixes menswear with women’s wear clothing because it shows that they don’t have to be 2 completely separate things. She shows that women don’t necessarily have to wear tight fitting clothes to look good; her style introduces this. Great job, I really enjoyed this.
jessied
November 24, 2013After hearing about H&M collaborating with Isabel Marant, I was excited to see the collection hit store shelves. Its hard to find high quality designer products at affordable prices. Therefore when Isabel Marant- a high fashion clothing brand with prices to match collaborated with H&M- a good quality reasonably priced retail store I was extremely excited . Even though the pieces cost less, they still are high quality and follow up coming trends. These pieces show high levels of exclusivity to them this is because the collections last for a short period of time and the most desirable pieces are usually gone by the second day. Everyone wants a sense of luxury in their lives and this collections like Isabel Marant’s give average consumers a chance to buy high quality items at a affordable prices. The collection is wearable and each piece is divers, therefore making the collection unique. This article speaks briefly about the journey Isabel takes to creating her label and ultimately collaborating with H&M. Great job on the article, it shows great insight on the creation of Isabel Marant’s collection and the story behind the collection as well!
elenet
November 30, 2013After reading this article, I wanted to go to H&M. Isabel Marant, usually a high class designer has made an affordable line, which is often hard to come by. Their goal was to “create designer pieces at a more reasonable price and quality”, which makes any girl excited for. What makes Isabel Marant clothing so interesting is that she’s crossing gender lines, to make something unique that both men and women can wear. “She breaks the image of what society thinks a woman should be, and contributes to creating equality among the sexes.” She is expressing her views on feminism by using clothing, which is a new and refreshing way of promoting these views. Who says a woman needs to be in tight clothing to look like a woman. Why can’t she be wearing a man’s dress shirt? This article does a great job on showing her life and how she desided to being a designer, as well as the riskiness of her pieces. Well done!
dawsonstudent01
December 4, 2013This was a very interesting article for me to read considering I am a big fan of H&M and it’s interesting clothing lines. I’ve always loved the pieces they’ve made and cannot wait for this new original addition. The fact that Isabel Marant made men’s clothing styles accessible to women is something many women would be thrilled about. It shows society that women don’t always have to wear tight clothes to look good. She is a strong believer in woman equally in all areas of society, especially clothing and style. Big, baggy, comfortable sweaters can be just as stylish as leggings and tank tops, according to this designer. I couldn’t agree more!
dawsonstudent777
December 5, 2013Marant: so hot right now. Marant’s new line is revolutionary. It’s bold yet relaxed. It’s out there yet simultaneously so reserved. It’s crossing gender lines and doing so with style. Her teaming up with H&M is a great idea, in my opinion. Her relaxed and comfortable yet very fashionable style is refreshing. Her pieces are usually very expensive, though, so only those with big budgets can afford them. The H&M collaboration is a means for Isabel to get all of the average folk in on everything Marant as well. So thank you, Isabel. Thank you, H&M. Thank you, efficacious co-branding. Thank you, hyper-consumerism. BRB, just trying to get to H&M before the whole line’s sold out.
Dawson Student
March 9, 2014This article intrigued me as I am very into fashion. I found it very interesting how Marant was so talented that she was able to drop out of high school and still become this successful. She shows the world that the stereotypical fitted clothing for women isn’t all that’s available and stylish for them anymore. She has proven by the success of her clothes that women can wear oversized and boyish clothing and still be trendy. I admire her authenticity and her determination in being only one of a kind. She truly shows every individual that it’s important to do what you love and show the world how every individual is exceptional. Life is about taking risks, which is what she did when she dropped out of school. After reading this piece, I was very eager to go to check out the collection at H &M. Isabel shows society that men and women can share clothes and wear them with poise and style. I truly enjoy how she doesn’t make men and women’s wear two separate ideas completely. She has succeeded at passing the gender stereotypes.
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