Lanvin is H&M's newest partner

[September 03, 2010]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Lanvin will be the next high-fashion house to become a partner of fast-fashion retailer H&M.

The joint collection, featuring womenswear and menswear, will go on sale Nov. 20 in North America and then to the rest of the world three days later.

"H&M approached us to collaborate, and see if we could translate the dream we created at Lanvin to a wider audience, not just a dress for less. I have said in the past that I would never do a mass-market collection, but what intrigued me was the idea of H&M going luxury rather than Lanvin going public," said Alber Elbaz, artistic director of Lanvin.

Elbaz will oversee design with menswear designer Lucas Ossendrijver.

H&M has made a habit, a fairly successful one, of joining with top fashion names for limited-edition, buzzed-about collection. Previous partners included Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney.

Those names, however, were generally well known to the mass-market audience; Paris-based Lanvin is much more of a fashion insider's favorite brand.

H&M will preview the collection to the public in an online film on hm.com on Nov. 1.

"This has been an exceptional exercise, where two companies at opposite poles can work together because we share the same philosophy of bringing joy and beauty to men and women around the world," Elbaz said in a statement.

[Associated Press; By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL]

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