In case you were wondering whether or not sales of the Versace for H&M collection would match the hype, fear not: They did! The collection went on sale in the UK, Europe and basically the world yesterday (we here in North America have to wait until tomorrow) and people were clamoring for it.
There are multiple reports out of London that people started camping out the afternoon prior to the 9am opening on November 17, and the internet traffic crashed the retailer’s website. Marie Claire UK reports that H&M locations in Dubai and Beijing sold out in under 30 minutes, and that pieces–not coincidentally–popped up on eBay shortly afterwards. There’s a ton of stuff available there now, and the most expensive we saw–oddly–was the floral/leopard printed men’s bomber jacket for $750, followed closely by the women’s long studded leather coat for $700.
And what about the people who actually bought the collection to wear it? The pieces at the top of everyone’s list, not surprisingly, seem to have been the leather jackets and dresses; the black pieces in general seem to be the most coveted items. Grazia stopped a lot of shoppers in London to peep at what they bought–that black studded leather dress was a must-have, and so was the floral pillow. WWD reports that at a preview party thrown by Emmanuelle Alt, “within 15 minutes, the rails had been picked clean of all black dresses, but the French crowd seemed less keen on the more colorful items.” We suspect NYC may have similar issues.
Speaking of New York, you better start lining up now. According to a tweet by @ItsJenniferWard, who works in publicity at H&M:
Wow two die hard @Versace for @hmusa fans have been lined up at 51st and 5th since 11am.. Collection is on sale Saturday. Impressive!!
And she tweeted that YESTERDAY, for a collection that doesn’t go on sale until tomorrow. Bundle up and get out there if you want a chance at this collection.
BubblesPop 