The new age of media is all about you. From ‘selfies’ on Instagram to fashion portfolios on Lookbook, the cyber universe is a map of your digital identity. Swedish powerhouse fashion retailers H&M have clicked onto the blogoshpere and created a chain of stores inspired by the fashion of bloggers across the globe. & Other Stories is a brand that provides the tools for women to produce their own individualised fashion, rather than imitate the ramp styles of a global crowd.
Image:& Other Stories, Facebook
Traditionally, H&M are known for their ability to spot the latest catwalk trends and quickly materialize these pieces into accessible fashion for the public at large. & Other Stories maintains the feminine chic established by H&M through personal stories founded in the threads of fashion.
The store’s creative director, Sarah Hilden-Bengtsson explains the concept saying,
‘We went to different cities and looked at how the impact of social media, street style and bloggers has made women more fashion savvy. Women create looks differently than they did 10-15 years ago. They create their own stories through their personal style and they know fashion.
Image:& Other Stories, Facebook
Social media has made it possible for the personal to become public, and as we Tweet, Facebook or ‘pin’ our favourite trends on Pinterest, we inspire new ways of wearing and using clothes and accessories. From wearing your grandfather’s bowler hat to slinging your sister’s belt around your mother’s old shirt, social media fashionistas are narrating their own fashion stories and publishing them on an array of social media websites. Designer wear – while still glamorously cool – has taken a backseat to individual style.
Ultimately the giants that master the ramps of New York, Milan and Paris create fashion for a global public, while & Other Stories markets the impulsive, unpredictable, self-defined style worn by Internet users as they stride through online channels. The retail outlet has incorporated installations that allow customers to edit looks and create a spontaneous style that appears ‘thrown together’ instead of meticulously store-bought. & Other Stories provides the means for women to tell their own stories without the hassle of cutting t-shirts and rolling pants to get the look they want.
Image:& Other Stories, Facebook
Image:& Other Stories, Facebook
A section of the London store is called ‘Contradiction and Minimalism’. The installation features a leather dress, and a small selection of shoes, bags and jewellery that will create a full look. The ready-to-wear concept also provides nail polish to match iPhone holders and lipgloss to complement jewellery. In this way, & Other Stories allows women to customise their purchase to suit their individual style.
Image:& Other Stories, Facebook
Image:& Other Stories, Facebook
H&M worked on the brand concept for three years before the first & Other Stories store opened in London earlier this month. Since then a store has opened in Copenhagen with more planned for Berlin, Paris, Barcelona and Milan.
Images: & Other Stories, Facebook
