The H&M x Rokh collaboration—set to come out on May 2, 2024—will bring forward essential clothing that are made to last for the gentlemen who appreciate tailoring with a twist
Rokh’s signature design, which infuses classic tailoring with radical construction, has brought the brand onto the global stage. The ingenious approach to fashion adopted by this Paris-based brand eventually caught the attention of H&M, which regularly works with designers worldwide, notably those with distinctive design characteristics. A new collaboration between the two brings forward Rokh’s hallmarks, featuring the multi-button trench coat—which is arguably the brand’s most recognizable piece—alongside many other exciting ready-to-wear and accessories pieces.
To learn more about this exciting collaborative collection, DAMAN chats with Ann-Sofie Johansson, Creative Advisor and Head of Design Womenswear at H&M, and Rok Hwang himself…
DAMAN: How did Rokh’s name come up for the collaboration? Any particular reason why the brand became the top priority among other equally captivating names?
Ann-Sofie Johansson: We’ve had an eye on Rokh and designer Rok Hwang for a few years now. We fell in love with his work because he has such an interesting way of working with tailoring. It’s deconstructed and quite conceptual in some ways, but also very versatile and easy to wear, which is a balance our customers love. The collaboration strategy at H&M is very diverse. We always like to have a mix of iconic fashion houses and emerging brands. It’s very important to us to lend our platform to young talents—we’ve done this in the past with the Irish designer Simone Rocha and Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz, for example. We’ve also collaborated with people who are well-known for their iconic style: Anna Dello Russo, the late Iris Apfel. We really enjoyed what Rokh was doing, so we reached out to the team last year and had an initial video-call meeting with Rok to discuss a possible collaboration. We were very happy when he accepted our proposal.
DA: What’s your first reaction when H&M contacted you for the collaboration?
Rok Hwang: My reaction was, first of all, quite shocked—but in a very positive way. H&M has done many collaborations in the past with so many great brands and designers. For us, it’s a real milestone, so I was really thrilled and happy. The other thing that makes this collaboration rather special is that H&M wanted the central focus to really be true to who I am as a designer. They have such a depth of knowledge when it comes to designer collaborations, but they gave me full freedom to explore my ideas and translate my codes. They really allowed me to deliver Rokh to the world.
DA: How did you reimagine your DNA for this collaboration and what is the main inspiration behind the collection?
RH: I spent some time looking back through the Rokh archives, thinking about what defines the brand today. It was a really interesting exercise of self-realization that I think has only strengthened our codes and values. I am always inspired by real-life situations with my clothes, I want them to be really practical and timeless. Workplaces and workwear were particular focuses for this collection—the figure of the working woman is always aspirational for me, especially being surrounded with so many hard-working, talented women in my studio and throughout my career. We thought it would be fun to take this inspiration through to the accessories, something that would engage the customer in different ways, with the file bags, the 1980s-style briefcase and also the staple details. I had so much fun working on those.
DA: Can you tell us about the design process in the studio with Rokh Hwang? What challenges did you two face?
ASJ: We had the initial video-call meeting to discuss ideas over a year ago, and then Rok worked on a proposal with sketches and ideas, and we gave our feedback. We were very happy that Rok was so generous with his iconic pieces, the trench coats and tailoring, which are so recognisable and unique. Rok and his team travelled to our H&M atelier in Stockholm several times throughout the collaboration process to do fittings—he was very hands on, and paid great attention to detail. We got along very well, he was very respectful and collaborative. Honestly, the only challenge I can think of was editing down the collection to something really concise and impactful—Rok had so many fantastic designs and he put so much heart into the process, so the only difficulty was choosing between so many fantastic pieces.
DA: How did you integrate Rokh’s adaptability and functionality into the collection?
ASJ: Something we always say about the designer collaborations is that we want to give the designers freedom to fully express themselves and their brands. Rokh has versatility at its core, it’s a key principle of Rok’s design process—and of course, it’s an element of his work that we particularly love, and which chimes with what our customer is looking for. All the designs Rok proposed were super functional and many had adaptable qualities, for example the black dress has hook-and-eye closures joining the bottom panel to the hem of the dress, which can be customised by the wearer to change the hemline. So, for us, it was a question of letting Rok express himself and then giving our feedback.
DA: You lived in many cities beforehand. How did your upbringing affect your designs?
RH: I always say Rokh is a citizen of the world! I was born in Korea, grew up in the U.S. and studied in London, and today we show our catwalk collections in Paris. I love to travel and I take inspiration from everywhere. For instance I had never been to Stockholm before this collaboration, and I really love the city! Being a citizen of the world has given the brand a very international perspective and helped me to stay very open-minded.
DA: Which pieces do you feel are the most exciting to design and make?
RH: Well, the briefcase is a collectible item for sure! And I am very organized so I am personally excited about the file bags, which I’ll be using to store all the collection notes. From a customer perspective I thought a lot about which pieces summed up Rokh, and I love the trench coats which are our icons and most recognisable pieces. The double trench for women and the multi-button coat for men—they really stand for Rokh as a visual language, from our earliest days of development.
DA: How does the men’s collection differs from the women’s? Which pieces do you think are the most essentials to have?
ASJ: Adaptability is at the heart of Rok’s vision for both menswear and womenswear. The entire collection is designed to be timeless and versatile, so that customers can wear items in multiple combinations and integrate them easily into their existing wardrobes. That’s something we always have in mind at H&M, so it was great to work with a designer who shares our ethos. I think the multi-button trench for men is a very recognisable Rokh icon that will be an excellent investment for years to come—trench coats can be worn in so many different scenarios, so it’s a really useful piece that always looks effortlessly stylish. For women I love the double trench for the same reason. I also love the denims, which are effortlessly cool.
DA: Last but not least, if you can sum up this collaboration in one sentence, what would it be?
RH: I can use one word: timeless!