On Saturday, Nov. 14, H&M launched the highly anticipated Jimmy Choo by H&M collection of shoes, apparel and accessories at select stores around the world, and Footwear News was on hand to take in the enthusiasm and, in some cases, chaos that surrounded the retailer’s most highly publicized designer collaboration to date.
For his part, Choo CEO Joshua Schulman said the H&M experiment was a terrific success. “We were so delighted with the phenomenal consumer response to the Jimmy Choo for H&M flash collection,” he said. “I heard stories of women camping out in sleeping bags in London, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong. The project accomplished exactly what we set out to do: expose our brand to a younger audience for a moment in time and capture the hearts of women around the world. This was a fun exercise, which shows how many people are yearning to be part of the Jimmy Choo world.”
NEW YORK: Around 1 p.m., at the H&M location on the corner of 34th Street and 8th Avenue, more than two-dozen female shoppers, most of them in their 20s and 30s, were lined up outside the sectioned-off shoe area. An H&M staffer said that a line of more than 100 people started forming outside the store at 9 p.m. the night before. He wasn't sure whether the Choo shoes would sell out that day, but said supplies were definitely dwindling and the launch had been as strongly received as H&M's previous designer collaborations. Shoppers had a limit of 10 minutes to peruse the special shoe area and were only allowed to buy one pair of each style.
Hannah, a twentysomething New Yorker, said she came with a friend to check out the scene on Saturday, even though she had already snagged three pairs during a special preview at the Fifth Avenue location the night before. "They're all so cute," she said of the sandals, heels and over-the-knee boots, before snatching up another pair.
Down the street, at the Herald Square H&M, about 75 shoppers were lined up on the second floor, waiting to enter the shoe area. Two sisters, Nina and Tina — both in their twenties — left the store with almost 20 pairs between them, after lining up at 6 a.m. They were pleased with how smoothly the morning went, but were not crazy about the prices. “It’s cheap relative to [Choo’s retail], but still expensive relative to H&M,” said Tina. “But we got a lot of leather, so you know you’re getting some quality.”
Another shopper, Kaylee, boarded a bus from Washington, D.C., at 5:30 a.m., to arrive in the city an hour later. There were close to 400 people in line by the 10 a.m. opening, some who had shown up as early as 10 p.m. the night before. Kaylee, also in her twenties, did her online research two months prior to the launch, to optimize the short, 10-minute shopping limit. When she arrived, she already had a pair of boots and heels in mind. “All the merchandise is really, really nice,” she said. “For most people, it’s the first opportunity to get an affordable [Choo] shoe.” There were just a few pairs left on the floor around 1:30 p.m., and staffers said the stock was expected to sell out soon. "We aren't replenishing. This is it," said one saleswoman.
This article is from http://www.wwd.com
Monday, November 23, 2009
H&M launched the highly anticipated Jimmy Choo by H&M collection of shoes, apparel and accessories at select stores around the world
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