Designer collaborations bring out previously unseen sides of established brands.
Target brought heaps of color to women’s closets with its collaboration with Christopher John Rogers, Rixo and Alexis last month. Zara offered comforting nostalgia with its recent collection with Fruit of the Loom, while Heron Preston delivered Calvin Klein basics with a sustainable twist.
“Approachable opulence” is the story behind H&M’s upcoming designer collaboration with 2016 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award winner, Brock Collection. The collection, which launched Monday in select H&M stores and online and in the U.S. on June 24, is inspired by “modern romance” and focuses on dresses and separates that mix “streetwise ease and a hint of past decades.”
Following an unpredictable year of fashion that flung Cottagecore florals, Regencycore corsetry and tried-and-true denim back in the spotlight, the collaboration manages to bring the various elements together in a wearable summertime collection. The collaboration features signature Brock Collection pieces, including dresses, blouses, tops and jeans, plus shoes, jewelry, handbags and sunglasses—all in a soft color palette of pale pinks, off-white, cream, black and washed denim.
Fitted silhouettes like corset-like tanks, bustier dresses and slip dresses with lace inserts mix with balloon-sleeve dresses and tie-front tops. The collection’s oversized snap-button denim shirt, cuff-off denim shorts, straight fit jeans and line of denim accessories—a quilted hobo and shoulder bag and pointed-toe slides—add a casual aesthetic in keeping with Brock’s Californian roots.
The collection is made from sustainable materials like organic linen, organic cotton, recycled cotton, recycled polyester and Tencel, continuing H&M’s recent efforts to ramp up its use of environmentally friendly fibers.
Brock Collection’s “down-to-earth” and “thoughtful” styling caught the attention of H&M, according to Maria Östblom, H&M head of design at H&M. “I believe that’s the key to their success,” she said. “We want to celebrate romance and make it accessible to the many.”
The partnership with H&M introduces Brock Collection to a broader audience beyond a celebrity clientele that includes Emily Ratajkowski, Margot Robbie and Meghan Markle. The brand was founded in 2014 by Laura Vassar Brock and Kristopher Brock after they met in New York City while attending Parsons School of Design.
“Brock Collection has always been about connecting the threads between uptown polish paired with a down to earth ease, which we are so happy to bring to a new audience. Each piece in the collection is special and carries a certain romantic charm, but is totally effortless,” the founders stated in a press release.