Give Me New

Coming from Maryville, Tenn., I’d never heard of the Swedish clothing chain H&M until I took a shopping trip to New York. And once I did, there was no going back.

Falling in love with the affordable, trendy wares, I purchased many items during that trip, thinking that I wouldn’t have the same opportunity when I returned to school in Cincinnati. But shortly thereafter, I moved to Chicago for six months, where I became a regular at the H&M on State Street. Once again I stocked up, knowing I wouldn’t have the same opportunity back at school or home. Except, just as I was finishing up school this spring, H&M opened in Cincinnati. Just my luck, I was moving out and H&M was moving in. I did make sure, however, that I got to enjoy this new H&M just a little bit before I moved. And during a recent shopping trip, I started thinking – what is the actual experience that H&M delivers? And why is it so popular?

Followers can quickly and easily recognize the brand’s bold red italicized logo and the trendy confident ads. And they flock there for the trendy look of the season, while also counting on the ability to find a range of apparel, from professional dress to bohemian sandals and flowing dresses. Just like the variety of clothes H&M sells, the store formats seem to vary as well. While most stores have concrete floors, metal racks and some visual displays, they vary in layout and design, including multiple levels with escalators and stairs to navigate. The new Cincinnati store, which took over a former movie theater space, is spread across one floor with lots of space for everything from women’s, men’s and children’s to a new garden ecological line.

It also includes a great black framed showcase space that is used to display some of the biggest trend pieces and invites shoppers to wander around and through the showcase rather than just passing by it.

As a young professional and designer, I appreciate each store having its own personality. It may make navigation a little more challenging as you figure out the layout of each location, but to know that each H&M you enter will be slightly different in design and product makes the experience that much better. I don’t believe it’s just me either – today’s shoppers expect nothing less than something new and fresh, so a store that can deliver something new each visit is a pretty good solution to this demand. And it seems to be working. I noticed in the Cincinnati store, there was a range of shoppers, including groups of teenage girls, a few men, moms with children, couples and young professionals.

There’s just something about the clothes, the stores and those red letters that puts H&M on the wish list for many.