New store “& Other Stories” offers a new way to shop

H&M have been busy bees this month. Alongside launching a newly renovated flagship store in London, the fashion chain has released a brand new collection of stores called & Other Stories.

The new premium brand takes a fresh approach to fashion and takes inspiration for designs from individual street style and fashion-savvy bloggers instead of catwalk trends. & Other Stories houses four collections – not trends.

The Poetic & Dandy line channels a feminine Parisian style while a structured and sporty look can be created from the Sophisticated & Architectural story. Industrial & Effortless offers leather and androgynous tailoring while graphic prints and Acne styles are found in Minimalism and Contradiction. The pieces on offer are designed to be classic and re-workable season after season, and not disposable as trends change.

“We went to different cities and looked at how the impact of social media, street style and bloggers has made women more fashion-savvy,” said creative director Sara Hilden-Bengtsson. “Women create looks differently than they did 10-15 years ago. They create their own stories through their personal style and they know fashion.”

The collections or “stories” at & Other Stories are constructed by combining contemporary designs, vintage looks and retro shapes merchandised with accessories and make-up to create different looks. Designers and creatives from Stockholm and Paris – including some from offbeat Swedish label Acne – have mirrored how women create their own looks reflecting their personality by mixing labels and contrasting styles. Instead of telling you how to wear a look, & Other Stories gives shoppers a base from which they can create their own.

“We have found women to be so much more educated about fashion; they know what they want before they leave the house to shop,” says Colombe Campana, the brand’s ready-to-wear designer. “And she could be anyone. The only thing that binds together the women who come through our door is that she loves fashion.”

Hollie Bracciale