MANILA, PHILIPPINES – H&M’s latest collaboration is a glamorous and vibrant project created in partnership with a true style icon – the incomparable Iris Apfel. The Iris Apfel x H&M collection celebrates the 100th birthday of the beloved tastemaker. The collection will launch on hm.com and in H&M Greenbelt starting March 31, 2022.
Iris Apfel is renowned for her flamboyant fashion, fierce individuality and bold outfits. She champions the idea that style and inspiration can come from anywhere and anyone, regardless of price. Inspired by Iris Apfel’s unique flair and more-is-more aesthetic, the Iris Apfel x H&M collection offers an assortment of stunning pieces designed for everyone. The clothing and accessories have all been created to honour Iris Apfel’s unwavering independence and original sense of style.
The collection features a playful mix of textures, patterns and cuts. Key garments include a jacquard suit with peapod embroidery and pearl peas, a voluminous frilled tulle jacket and a flouncy tiered skirt and blouse set in a stunning iris flower print. A rainbow of fabulous, vivid colours — canary yellow, emerald green, radiant violet, vivid turquoise, sunset orange — bring the garments to life. A line of jewellery and accessories has also been designed to complement the wardrobe. Taking inspiration from Iris Apfel’s love of layering and fondness for chunky statement pieces, the accessories pull from many themes, including plants, animals, and treasures from another world.
“I think H&M is fabulous and is an absolute pioneer in its field – which I love! I love doing high style at affordable prices, which H&M has mastered!” Iris Apfel.
“H&M was drawn to work with Iris because of her famously eclectic taste and her influence within the fashion community. She epitomises personal style – a style that is both beautifully flamboyant and eclectic as well as totally ageless. She shows what fashion is all about: it’s a means of expressing yourself, who you are or want to be and a way to have fun. She’s a true inspiration!” Ann-Sofie Johansson, Creative Advisor, H&M Womenswear.
Iris Apfel x H&M interview
Q: Tell us about the collaboration.
I don’t think high style needs to come with a high price. Some of my favorite pieces have cost the least. It’s about finding what works for you and what you love, and to do that you need the opportunity to experiment and try new things. H&M has mastered offering fabulous fashion that is affordable. They’ve made style more accessible, which I love. So this collaboration was a perfect match.
Q: Tell us about the Iris Apfel x H&M collection.
The collection offers some marvelous pieces that can be used as building blocks for people exploring their personal style. I don’t want people to dress like me and I don’t want people to think like me — that’s not the idea. I want people to think for themselves, to find the colors, cuts, accessories and combinations that work for them, to use their imaginations, to wear what they love. You should be your own style icon. What makes you happy?
Q: Tell us about your inspiration for the Iris Apfel x H&M collection.
I don’t know where my inspiration comes from. I’m experimental, I’m curious, I like to try new things. I do what feels right, I improvise. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But it’s always exciting. When I design things I want to smile and laugh and feel happy. And I had fun with this collection. The pieces are playful, they’re filled with movement and color and joy and possibility, and that’s what style should be about. Glamour, fantasy, humor, whimsy — all of this is missing in modern life. We should bring it back. And where better to start than with your wardrobe?
Q: Tell us about how you chose the wonderfully vibrant palette for the Iris Apfel x H&M collection.
I love color — the brighter the better. I’m not a pastel person. Pastels make me anxious! I love the energy bright colors bring to an outfit, the excitement. I love
the way they make me feel. Fashion should be fun, and color is fun. This collection has lots of loud, splashy colors — canary yellow, emerald green, violet, turquoise, sunset orange. It’s really a rainbow, isn’t it?
Q: Tell us about how you want people to wear the collection.
I think part of the problem with the way people dress nowadays is that it’s too generic. Everyone looks the same, they wear the same things. They wear what’s in fashion, what’s trendy, what they’re being told to wear. That’s terribly dull. I want to see personality. Don’t be afraid to experiment, to express yourself with what you wear. Style is within, I think it’s in your DNA — so you have to figure out who you are first. When you’ve found yourself, you’ll find your style. Your personality, your taste, your unique look — that never goes out of style. Don’t strive to look like everyone else. Strive to look like yourself. Dress exactly the way you want to and you’ll always look wonderful, because you’ll feel wonderful — you’ll feel like yourself. And anyway, I think it’s much better to be happy than well dressed.
Q: Tell us about some of the key pieces in the collection.
There’s a turquoise and green suit that I love. It’s one of my favorite pieces. It’s made from a divine jacquard fabric, with lovely little peas embroidered on it. The craftsmanship and tailoring are brilliant — it looks truly haute couture. And the ruffled purple tulle jacket really is fabulous too. So much volume! I love a piece that takes up space. It’s so playful and luxurious. It’s so much fun to wear. You feel wonderfully avant-garde with that one on. And of course the accessories. They’re big, they’re bold, they’re wild. Perfect for layering. You can mix them with pieces you already have, make them suit your look. There’s a fantastic orange and green necklace with a chunky chain and a frog pendant, and you can remove the frog and use it as a brooch. I adore that kind of versatility.
