Fashion Weekly

Essence of Italian chic on island

January 11 - 17, 2012
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Gulf Weekly Essence of Italian chic on island

Gulf Weekly Stan Szecowka
By Stan Szecowka

H&M devotees will soon be wearing a touch of Italian chic around Bahrain as a result of the store signing a spring designer collaboration with celebrated brand Marni.
 
Famed for its original prints and inventive spirit, Marni is one of fashion’s most-loved names, and its founder and creative director Consuelo Castiglioni has created for H&M a spring collection for both women and men which capture the essence of the label.
 
Available from March 8, in around 260 stores worldwide and online – including Bahrain City Centre and Seef Mall – the collection features both clothing and accessories all at H&M’s affordable prices, meaning everyone will have the chance to enter Marni’s world.

“I wanted to create a true Marni wardrobe by revisiting all our favourite pieces in signature fabrics and prints. As always, I love juxtaposing prints and colours, mixing modern tribal with Bauhaus graphic adding sporty utilitarian elements,” said Ms Castiglioni.

Fashion experts say Marni is a label that sticks to its own path, setting its own trends for print, cut and silhouette that are always playful and elegant. The company has remained a family owned-business as it has grown to become an international luxury brand with stores around the world.

Insiders describe Marni’s collection for H&M as expressing all the ‘freedom and experimentation for which the label is renowned’, with all-over prints in strong colours all intended to be worn together in layers that both match and clash.
 
For women, the colours are vivid and the prints are bold, be they African-inspired or simpler colour blocks. The silhouettes are all Marni staples, with full pleated skirts, dresses, cropped trousers and jacquard knit, and fabrics range from silk to crisp cotton poplin. To finish the complete look the collection also includes jewellery, shoes, bags and scarves.
 
For men, the colours and fabrics are softened for a relaxed take on menswear staples that is truly Marni. The use of print is subtle, often as a lining or as a contrast detail for shirts, the silhouette a modern and relaxed take on masculine classics.

The Marni collection is the latest designer collaboration for H&M, which has previously collaborated with brands such as Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Comme des Garçons, Jimmy Choo, Lanvin, and most recently Versace.

“We all love the collection here at H&M and we believe that our customers will do the same,” said Margareta van den Bosch, creative advisor, H&M. “Marni has such a modern touch with everything they do, mixing prints and accessories in a playful but chic way.

“It’s fantastic to see how Consuelo Castiglioni co-ordinates her designs, matching new combinations of print and colour with such incredible craftsmanship behind every piece. The collection will arrive in stores at just the perfect time, as a lovely statement for spring.”

The Swedish clothing retailer boasts stores in 28 countries and says it meets demand for new styles with daily deliveries of stock. H&M was brought to the kingdom under the umbrella of MH Alshaya Co. The leading international franchise operator has more than 55 of the world’s most recognised retail brands in its portfolio and is the retail business of the Alshaya Group, which was founded in Kuwait in 1890.


 







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