Louis Moon | Contributor
Featured image: An ultimate guide to shopping an H&M designer collection.
H&M is known for its yearly collaborations with high-end fashion designers, released as exclusive collections. Often, these collections are offered with limited quantities at a lower price range compared to the designer brands’ normal costs, making them much more affordable. Dedicated customers are known to wait in line for several hours, usually staying overnight, just to get a chance at grabbing an item on their wish list. Last year, H&M worked with the French-Japanese fashion house Kenzo. Other notable previous collaborations include with brands such as Versace, Maison Martin Margiela, Alexander Wang, Lanvin, and Balmain.
In July 2017, H&M announced their collaboration with ERDEM, a British fashion couture house created by Turkish-Canadian Erdem Moralioglu. Moralioglu began his fashion career by training at the Royal College of Art in London, and launched his label after graduating from the prestigious school. ERDEM is a label that centers around versatility, femininity, and individuality. Moralioglu does not hold back on his prints and textiles, creating a label that embodies every type of person.
For his collection with H&M, Moralioglu worked on his first menswear designs, giving people another reason to further anticipate the launch. While scrolling through the sneak peek photos of the lookbook, I made up my mind to make this my first “hedonic standing-in-line shopping” experience.
I have never stood in line for clothes before, but I was intrigued to participate in this phenomenon. While the Internet gave somewhat sufficient tips and guides for this shopping experience, it wasn’t helpful enough for a newbie like me. Thus, I decided to share my personal tips and tricks for your own shopping ordeal:
1. It is crucial that you plan ahead:
Figure out which items you want, what your budget is, and in which stores the collection will be available at. ERDEM x H&M was made available in only three stores across Canada, one of them being the Eaton Centre.
Most information I could find on what to expect from waiting in line were derived from the Balmain x H&M collection. H&M used clever marketing tactics, such as paying numerous celebrities to endorse the collection, making the whole ordeal become one of the craziest waiting-in-line stories. I heard that people lined up for almost an entire day and still didn’t get what they wanted, due to incredibly high demand. I knew ERDEM wasn’t a staple house name like Balmain, but I decided to be there by 1 a.m.—seven hours before the collection was open to the public. If I was going to do this, I was going to do it right.
However, when I arrived, there were only a few people already there—two people waiting in line, and a few others waiting in their car. The combination of rainy and cold weather, along with ERDEM’s reputation as a new, up-and-coming brand, led people to either skip the event or take their time dropping by.
Around 4 a.m., things started to pick up, and more and more people started to show up. It became the sight seen in articles and videos. By 7 a.m., we were given coloured bracelets to divide us into groups. Once you get them, you are free to do whatever you want as long as you come back by the time given on your bracelet. As I was in the first group, my bracelet indicated I needed to be back by 8 a.m.
By 7:45 a.m., I felt a surge of pure intensity. Security guards and H&M workers welcomed us in as if we were in a luxury store, but we all knew each of us would be a part of a shopping mayhem very soon.
2. Do not dwell too much on one item:
The first rule in exclusive collection shopping is that you are permitted to purchase two of the same items in-store. This means that you can buy two of the same items, but realize that there are only two or three of each size for those specific items. Unless you were interested in only getting one thing, don’t dwell on the item. The pieces will be gone extremely fast—think Boxing Day, but instead with designer clothes.
3. Come early:
You will be grouped up with 20 people among 13 groups as a way for security and H&M workers to have control of the event and prevent a massive stampede. Once in the group, everyone’s bracelets will be numbered. The group will be put in a single file line, based on the numbers noted on the bracelet. I advise waiting patiently and coming in as early as possible so you can be one of the first people to see the collection and purchase whatever items you wish.
4. Research, research, research:
Each group will have 10 minutes browsing. This rule frustrated me the most, as I thought the 10 minutes comprised of both picking out the clothes and trying them on. However, that time limit is for you to simply grab whatever you want to try on. Afterwards, you are sent to a fitting room, where you are able to spend as much time as you want. Essentially, my advice is to research beforehand and know what you really want.
I was successful enough to acquire the shirt that I wanted. I was sixth in line, so I pounced on it once I got inside. After that, I had some extra time to spare, so I looked around quickly and picked up a t-shirt. Thankfully, both items fit well, so I purchased both. By the end of this hectic shopping spree, you will be rewarded with free items along with your purchases: a shopping bag and free hangers.
Now, my final verdict on my first exclusive shopping experience—if you are claustrophobic or easily anxious around a frantic environment, then this is not for you. It’s not for most people. Unless you are one to apply much sentimental and creative values to clothes, waiting in line for more than a few minutes for a shirt is ridiculous. However, I must say, I quite enjoyed this unique experience—it showed me a whole new world, even though I came home with wet socks due to the rainy weather. I’ve obtained a new appreciation for those willing to do anything for what they desired. Would I do it again next year? I probably wouldn’t wait in line just for the sake of trying new things—however, if I sincerely admired a certain collection, then definitely.
