Cut Flowers

I’ve jumped from one H&M collaboration with a lot of noise and PR brou-ha to one that will probably pass by with little fanfare.  I’ve long been a fan of H&M’s Design Awards capsule collections, not just because they’re less stressful than the big starry ones with theIR smash ’n’ grab tactics and queue rules, but also because they have generally relied on winning aesthetics as opposed to sheer brand power to pull your eyes in.  French graduate Eddy Anemian blew the judging panel of this year’s H&M Design Award, headed up by Erdem Moriaglu, with his collection named “They Can Cut All Flowers, They Cannot Keep Spring From Coming” made up of dissected romantic florals, inspired by the haute bourgeoise aspects of Tilda Swinton’s character in I Am Love and the rich classicism of French painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres.

 “I like the idea of sensuality, and perhaps even glamour,” said Anemian to WWD.  “I wouldn’t object to that description. But I don’t want any nudity. Rather, I tend to cover the body, and I just wanted to play with proportion – the idea of lots of patterns, or cutting jackets with really high collars that make you carry your head in an aristocratic way.”

Even Anemian himself doubted his ability to win the prize as people had told him that it would be too difficult to sell.  How were these mind-blowingly complex pieces primarily made up of strips of floral upholstery fabric going to be translated into a commercial capsule collection?  The complicated physical construction of the collection is certainly hard to imagine hanging on the rails of H&M.   Actually in truth, none of this year’s finalists would have given H&M an “easy” collection to produce what with Xiao Li’s silicone dipped knits or Camilla Blase Woodman’s feathered pieces.  That’s the beauty of the prize – the result is almost always going to be a directional collection made accessible to the public.  The choice for Anemian to receive the award certainly had nothing to do with ease of production but rather the jury went for the collection that impressed them the most on an visual level, which means a win-win for both Anemian, who has netted EUR50,000 prize money and for us the consumer, as we get an opportunity to buy into his graduate collection when it’s released in selected H&M stores and online on the 23rd October.

Having seen Anemian’s work in real life, when I was jury at La Cambre in Brussels, where he graduated this year and having tried out the samples in person, H&M certainly haven’t watered down the craftsmanship for the sake of an easier mode of production.  The strips of fabric have been sewn together to form the sculptural godets in the floor length skirt and the nipped in shape of the jacket, are like for like as per the pieces from Anemian’s original fourth year collection from La Cambre.  The visiaul effect is the same – florals that look like they’re seen through reflections of broken mirrors.  They cut-up floral pieces are definitely the stand-out pieces but the tiered bands of white made up into a strapless top and a long skirt and the printed jumpsuit are also faithful homages to Anemian’s original collection.

Like Minju Kim’s collection for H&M last year, it’s maximum design squeezed into the lowest prize these pieces can achieve.  EUR249 sounds a like a lot of money for H&M but one physical touch of this jacket or the skirt and most people with a modicum of fabric knowledge will wonder how they managed to produce such a piece for the price.  With the skirt in particular, you’re paying for a sheer volume  and weight of fabric – it’s a proper floor sweeper that is an absolute treat to wear because of its gradiose construction.  It’s a rare opportunity to buy into something that is technically astonishing – with a whiff of haute couture, which is what Anemian’s interest lies (good thing he’s currently interning at Dior) – for a price that is comparitively speaking, affordable.  In other words, worth it.  Not because of brand power or label clout but because of visual and aesthetic prowess.

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Eddy Anemian x H&M jacket EUR249 and skirt EUR249 worn with My Panda shirt and Tabitha Simmons x Toms shoes

Eddy Anemian x H&M jacket EUR249 and matching trousers EUR199

Eddy Anemian top EUR34.99 and skirt EUR249

Eddy Anemian jacket EUR179,99 and ruffled skirt EUR149

Eddy Anemian x H&M jumpsuit EUR79.99

Eddy Anemian 4th year graduate collection from La Cambre shot by Cecile Bortoletti

Eddy Anemian 4th year collection from La Cambre shot by Damien Milan