Rescheduled due to COVID-19 delays, H&M‘s collab with Indian label Sabyasachi as lead by Sabyasachi Mukherjee will make its arrival at the fast-fashion chain this week. For women, key pieces include long flowy dresses and kaftans to be worn in layers and mixed with accessories. For men, a henley shirt, highwaist chinos and a photographer jacket are key pieces. Accessories and shoes are designed to accentuate the full looks. Another key highlight of the collection is the use of traditional Indian prints as interpreted by the Sabyasachi Art Foundation through use of vintage block prints.
Commenting on the effort with Elle India back in March, the 46 year-old designer explained, “For the longest time, I wanted to take the India story global. It is very difficult for us to do it through couture, but you can do it on the back of a giant like H&M, that has the background to understand the next big voices from fashion, whether it was Stella McCartney, Karl Lagerfeld or Alber Elbaz.
“And, let me put this on record: I didn’t go to H&M, they came to me. I never thought this would happen but I knew that one day a collaborator would come to India and I would take India’s story forward. It just took me 20 years to make it happen.”
Born in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, Mukherjee is a graduate of the National Institute of Fashion Technology India. Within four months of graduating in 1999, he launched his eponymous label. He has become known for providing a modern context for traditional Indian fabrics and methods of constructions like bandhani, gotawork, block printing, and hand dyeing.
H&M and Sabyasachi’s collaborative collection launches in H&M store and online on August 12,2021.
