Maison Martin Margiela for H&M launch in Toronto: 33 photos of frenzied fans and instant-resellers over-grabbing candy clutches. No fair!

Maison Martin Margiela For H&M Toronto Opening
Photography by Stephanie J. Algieri
Maison Martin Margiela For H&M Toronto Opening
Photography by Stephanie J. Algieri

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H&M’s designer collaboration collections are famous for creating pandemonium—both industry-wide and on the sales floor. Launch day has become synonymous with block-scaling lines, fight-to-the-death shopping tactics. And so when the announcement came of the brand’s collaboration with conceptual industry favourite Maison Martin Margiela, we wondered how it would pan out as far as the general public was concerned. Margiela is not as household a name as say, Versace or Jimmy Choo.

Today, at Toronto’s Eaton Centre’s launch, it seems we got our answer. Smaller line, calmer crowd. No Versace level insanity.

Amongst the smaller crowd, we saw many young guns in off-kilter suits, veils and layers. Margiela devouts, no doubt. And contrary to the norm at collaboration launches, early morning shoppers browsed the collection rather than snatching up whatever pieces were available. There were a few classic characteristics of a H&M launch, the first being grab-happy fans. Witness: five candy clutches being snatched at once. And keeping with the buzz kill, instant resellers including reps from Remix Clothing were lurking amidst the Margiela keeners.

This morning’s turn out had us slightly puzzled (we were basically jumping for joy when the collaboration was announced) because we figured over the top crowds would come out to shop. We’re just going to think that everyone wanted to avoid the traditional pandemonium and is just biding his or her time before going to snatch up some of the collection.

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