Erdem explains his collaboration with H&M

What makes interesting for Erdem a collaboration with a fast fashion retailer as H&M?

It’s so amazing to be able to explore what I do on such a massive global scale. I think there’s something so democratic about offering what you do to so many people, in so many different countries. It was really fun to design this collection because I approached it in a different way. Usually when I design a show, it’s about a sequence of looks, with one design to follow the other on the catwalk. It was very different with ERDEM x H&M in the fact that it was more about the idea of people making their own look. 

For the first you introduce a man collection, how did you design it? What did you have in mind?

It was an absolute joy. I found a totally different process than designing the womenswear, which is so deeply based on narrative. For men’s, it was really thinking about what I would wear, and what I’ve worn at different stages of my life. It was great to work with tailoring, and to think about the nipped-in suits that my father used to wear in the 60s, with a neat shoulder and a clean leg. I wanted the tailoring to be beautiful, with details like covered buttons, and it was amazing to make coats using Harris Tweed.  I was also thinking about how it would look if it was worn by a woman. Designing the menswear gave a new dimension to the womenswear, because I was thinking about how these women’s pieces would be if they were mixed with the male wardrobe.  

What was the main inspiration for this collection?

Inspired by the Pet Shop Boys music video Being Boring, I imagined a group of young friends invading an English country house for the weekend, and that idea of wearing a ball gown with a pair of trainers, or a guy in silk pajamas with a tweed jacket that he found on the back of a door! It’s like a group of the best people you know, all together, creating their own stories with the pieces they find.  

Why did you choose Baz Luhzrman to make the video?

I’m so honored and excited to be working with Baz Luhrmann on ERDEM x H&M campaign. He’s one of the greatest storytellers of our time, and I know we share so much in common with our love of narrative, and how clothing can say so much about character. 

Collection availabloe at H&M and on H&M.com on november 2nd.