From Karl Lagerfeld in 2004, Roberto Cavalli in 2007 and now Alexander Wang in 2014, H&M has collaborated with some of the most respected names in high fashion.
On Thursday November 6th, the world of fashion went into a state of extreme anticipation for the 8 a.m. Alexander Wang and H&M release.
Marking their 10th collaboration, the first 420 Torontonians braved the cold and darkness throughout the late hours of the night and wee hours of the morning just to get their hands on an exclusive designer piece.
H&M employee Tineale Kadeja handled the overwhelming crowd first-hand and participated in the setup for the event.
“Customers have been standing in line for over 24 hours just for pieces of the collection. Explaining to them that they have a limited time to shop has caused a lot of anger,” said Kadeja, “I’ve been working for about five hours now and I haven’t left cash, it’s been a constant rush.” Kadeja described her day as overwhelming but expected.
The Toronto Eaton Centre and Yorkdale Mall H&M locations handled a large crowd of eager people. Organization was an obvious goal for the release, splitting customers into 30 groups identified by 14 different coloured bracelets, giving each group 15 minutes of madness to grab the items on their wish list.
Determined customer and Durham College student, Drucilla Boachie wasn’t holding back her excitement.
“I’m very satisfied with the collection. It was a great experience, bad for your bank, but it was amazing,” said Boachie.
Sacrifice is definitely the word to describe the trendy Toronto citizens as they stood out in the cold for hours, and some overnight just to get a chance to purchase an Alexander Wang and H&M exclusive item.
Known for his edgy touch at a young age of only 30, Alexander Wang has become one of the most successful designers across North America. Wang is the creative director for the French fashion house of Balenciaga.
Offering affordable prices for items that normally cost thousands of dollars, the sporty yet edgy line had 61 pieces ranging in prices from $12.99 to $499. The clothing line consisted of mainly sports wear and accessories, leather pants, sweaters, jackets and shoes, for both men and women.
Shannon Liverpool
Shannon Liverpool 