H&M to retail sarees for first time ever as part of Sabyasachi collaboration

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Feb 27, 2020

Swedish apparel brand H&M will launch its first ever line of sarees in India as part of its upcoming collaboration with designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee as the brand sees the Indian market as having great growth potential.

 
Indian shoppers will be able to buy a saree from H&M come mid-April, ET Bureau reported. The brand had previously announced its upcoming collaboration with traditional wear designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee but had not divulged exactly what that would entail. This will also be the first time H&M launches an ethnic wear product in its India stores as well as select international stores.
 
"It is the first time, and most probably, the last time that H&M is selling sarees because of our collaboration with an Indian designer,” H&M’s India CEO Janne Einola said at the recent RAI Retail Leadership Summit, ET Bureau reported. “The idea is to surprise consumers and we will have to see what response we get and how it fits the future.”

Ethnic wear represents a huge market in India and retailing sarees could bring a new crowd shoppers to H&M, demonstrating the importance of Indian market for H&M.
 
H&M first entered India in October, 2015 since when it has opened on average one store a month and has reached a total of 47 brick-and-mortar outlets in the country. The brand is open to source materials from India but, according to Einola, a current lack of free trade agreements makes the process very expensive.