BY RIYA BHAGTANI
It was hyped. Sabyasachi collaborating with H&M, oh my god! Am I gonna be able to afford Sabyasachi now? – is all I could think of. But I better not pay 3000 bucks for a t-shirt that looks like the first copy of Puma and those shorts? Please. Well, my shopping cart is still empty.
If you are a fashionista and spy on what all the designers in the town are up to, you would know Sabyasachi was working with H&M. The Clubhouse Fashion Rooms could only talk about that. It was like we will taste Sabyasachi through H&M – the brand we wear to go get some eggs. But little did we know, it is only going to be a disaster. We can’t afford Sabyasachi without emptying our bank accounts guys, that’s the moral of this disaster.
I am personally loving the people that are so angry on the internet about this collection. That is the exact energy we are looking for. The comments are witty, they show angst, disappointment and make some really smart fashion-appropriate points. Some of them are-
These are funny and I am here for them. After all, when you market a campaign so well and create the hype, it is important to live up to that. And in my opinion, even Sabyasachi would be aware it is not his best work. The shoot and the reels that were officially posted by Sabyasachi and H&M were very aesthetic and had a vibe that would sell their clothes. They were creative, directed very smartly, and looked appealing cinematography and aesthetics-wise. But why did this collection lack in fashion? Why was there literally no thought in the prints and the colours of these clothes? Sabyasachi tells stories with his clothes, this collection was blank.
Also, the way the brand portrayed the collection and the way influencers styled was so different, I was almost on the verge of giving up. Here are a few stories I posted that would give you some insight-
A few other factors that would make this collection “not so successful” in my opinion would be
- Sabyasachi X H&M Collection is not size-inclusive.
- The fact that there was a plus-size model on the cover of Femina India to market the campaign well and include “body positivity” but in reality, the collection isn’t size-inclusive. This is hypocritical and ethically wrong.
- While Sabyasachi is the biggest advocate of Sustainable Fashion, H&M is said to not pay its workers well and is a part of the fast-fashion world we live in.
And apart from the disappointing performance, countless tweets criticizing it, and thousands of memes being circulated, the collection was still sold out in 2 hours. Good business, y’all.
What we should start rethinking is our behaviour as consumers. If we are brand conscious, start giving preference to the art, fashion, and thought behind a fabric than it coming from a certain label. Having said that, I understand that there are personal preferences and people would have also liked the collection and bought it for that.
I just hope that we don’t get to see such collaborations again because the heart can only be broken so many times. Toodles.
