The Frenzy Gone Too Far

Anyone following the November 20 opening of the much-anticipated Lanvin for H&M collection on Twitter got a rather unsettling surprise. "There was a STABBING for cutting in line," declared one tweeter, reporting from a store location in midtown Manhattan. "3 people in ambulances. 2 in handcuffs."

Could it be? Stabbing someone for a dress? (Albeit an impossibly chic, reasonably priced one.) Within hours, H&M reps took to Twitter themselves to declare that accounts of such an incident were false. No one had been stabbed. But for many, the mere fact that the rumor had been started was enough to ask: Has the hoopla surrounding designer fast-fashion collaborations crossed the line?

What gives?

 "It's exciting to get a deal—no matter who you are," 

-  Kate Young

But fashion blogger Susie Lau (aka Susie Bubble), who blogged about Lanvin for H&M, believes another factor is at play. 

"People are just blinded by the hype," 

 "There's a huge audience that thrives on the race to get the last Kate Moss for Topshop dress,"

"That's the element that keeps it special—the fact that it's limited."

- Lau says

That would perhaps explain these collections' eBay aftermaths, where going rates are hardly bargains. (In one instance, a Lanvin for H&M one-shouldered canary dress that originally sold for $199 was being offered for $750, close to the cost of regular Lanvin.) Vena Cava codesigner Sophie Buhai, whose collaboration with Gap in 2009 incited in-store and online mayhem, agrees with Lau.


 But Buhai nevertheless admits she finds the inflation flattering: "If you're on eBay and the price has doubled, it means you have a cult somewhere."

In the meantime, with scores more designer fast-fashion ventures on the horizon (such as Calypso for Target and Karl Lagerfeld for Macy's), the madness doesn't look like it's going to let up.

 "Our customers have to be very creative to assure they are able to get their hands on designer fashion for H&M prices," 

- Ward 

 "Fortunately, there were no fashion victims at the expense of this last collaboration." 

—AMANDA FITZSIMONS

Read More : Designer Fast Fashion Collaborations