Dream A Little Dream

The wonderful world of Simone Rocha, where strength and softness are one and the same, is now open to all with her new H&M collaboration.

- Jeffrey Yan

H&M pioneered the high-low fashion crossover when it teamed up with Karl Lagerfeld way back in 2004 and its designer collaborations since have set the template for this contemporary industry phenomenon. Whether it’s Martin Margiela’s avant-garde experimentalism (2012), Marni’s exuberant maximalism (2012) or Versace’s high-octane glamour (2011), the Swedish brand has always had its finger on the pulse, distilling the fashion mood of the moment into an accessible, expansive collection and serving it up to the wider public.

This year, the prevailing mood in fashion is one of hopefulness in the face of darkness—beauty as a balm. Fittingly, H&M has tapped Simone Rocha for its designer collaboration. No other designer of her generation has captured the complexity and multiplicity of femininity today as well as Rocha. In the 11 years since she started her brand, Rocha has steadily and consistently built on her vision of romance with an edge and beauty with a grit—a powerful aesthetic that has garnered her a cult following that cuts across diverse groups and generations of women.

“Simone Rocha has been on H&M’s wish list for a long time,” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, Creative Advisor of H&M. “We have been so impressed with how clear her point of view is, season on season. She o” ers a really dynamic reflection on modern femininity. I personally have been very inspired to work with a female designer who spends so much time thinking about contemporary womanhood. It’s always about beauty, but there’s an edge too.”