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ELBOWS were sharpened as savvy shoppers pushed and shoved their way through H&M in Bahrain City Centre to buy into the avant-garde world of fashion.
The Swedish retail clothing company once again collaborated with a world-renowned fashion label to create mayhem in its flagship store in the kingdom.
Diehard fans of Maison Martin Margiela queued up as early as 5am last Thursday to get their hands on futuristic pieces from the high-fashion collection.
To prevent the usual mayhem, an army of security guards patrolled the entrance where the store’s employees, who were wearing Margiela logo-emblazoned white aprons for the occasion, handed out shopping baskets before the doors opened at 8am.
The staff danced around the collection of bold outerwear to boost the energy as they counted down the seconds until the shoppers charged through the doors.
Three minutes after the crowd barged through, the rail of red dresses going for BD79 each vanished, and by 9am, most items were gone, except for a few shoeboxes, necklaces and coats, which were still being swarmed over by latecomers.
The clothing embodies the classic oversized shapes that the Margiela brand has become famous for. However, while prices for original Margiela pieces can reach thousands of dinars, prices for items of this collaboration run from as low as BD4.900.
A leather biker jacket with statement shoulders, which originally appeared in the spring/summer mainline Margiela collection this year, was an early must-have item going for BD129, while an oversized puffa down coat, for the same price, was also popular. The designer also transformed key rings and locks of hair into creative accessories.
Shopper Indira Kadirova, 29, from Amwaj, said: “I was the first one to arrive and extremely excited. I was sitting on the floor planning what I was going to grab first. It’s very rare that you can get a funky collection like this here in Bahrain. I am very happy that finally the country is getting fashion items at the same time as the rest of the world. I got everything I wanted. I’m glad I got here early.”
After spending 40-minutes nabbing all her items, she left the outlet BD286 poorer. But she still wasn’t the top-paying customer. With 28 items bought and a BD1,293 receipt, one shopper, who asked to remain anonymous, had staff helping her carry all her purchases to her car. She explained that she is a big fan of the designer and the buzz created around the collection was understated.
Nefeli Christofides, 22, from Saar, said: “I was very excited about the collection, but only ended up buying a clutch for BD25. I was expecting more of the collection to be available but this is still a good thing for fashion in Bahrain.”
Customers were even rushing from neighbouring countries with Serge Wyngaard, 29, travelling from Saudi Arabia just for the event and he spent BD54. He said: “I got here the night before to get prepared for the launch in the morning. Margiela is the designer’s designer. I couldn’t miss it. I only ended up buying accessories, but I’m still really glad I came.”
Anne-Charlotte Bhouches, ended up spending BD517.400 and wishes she had spent even more. Anne-Charlotte, 25, from Amwaj, said: “I rushed in to make sure I got my hands on the leather jacket as well as the red dress. It’s a shame that some items were sold out in just 20 minutes – many before I got to them, but I am very glad I got here early.”
Since the first H&M collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld in 2004, the launch of a designer’s range has turned into a new fashion event in the kingdom and has become a fantastic opportunity for H&M customers to pick up a bargain.
Founded in 1947, H&M is a global fashion brand and pioneer of design collaborations with style icons such as Stella McCartney, Viktor & Rolf, Roberto Cavalli, Comme des Garçons, Sonia Rykiel and Lanvin.
H&M’s two outlets in Bahrain City Centre and another in Seef Mall were brought to the kingdom under the umbrella of M.H. Alshaya Co, the retail arm of the Alshaya Group, which was founded in Kuwait in 1890.
Set up by Martin Margiela in 1988 in Paris, the Maison Martin Margiela label has been owned by Diesel since 2002, with Margiela reportedly leaving the brand in 2009. All the items being sold by H&M were original designs from the label and each piece comes with a tag explaining which collection it first appeared in.
