Hennes & Mauritz AB, the retail giant you may be more familiar with as H&M, launched an eight-piece capsule collection by 24 year old Ximon Lee this week. The New York based designer and graduate of The New School’s Parsons School of Design was announced as the first menswear designer to win H&M’s annual design award.
With high fashion leaning further and further into gender-neutral territory it makes sense that Lee’s line, which is available online and in-stores from 22 October, be celebrated for whichever sex you happen to be. He told WWD, “When I started working on the collection with them, they were very open to my opinions. I’m very particular in terms of the color, the material and even when it comes to snaps and zippers, I didn’t want to sacrifice any ideas that I began with. The production went really smoothly,”. His collection is made up of heavily exaggerated shapes and bonded fabric to create wearable versions of this usual work which incorporates material like plastic and cardboard.
No word on whether or not Ximon Lee for H&M will be available from the South African H&M which launches in November in Sandton City, Johannesburg.
First image from Ximon’s Spring 2016 range. Second image from his Instagram account.