H&M Studio’s Latest Collection is an Homage to Twin Peaks

The sun-drenched “White Room” of H&M’s headquarters in Stockholm is quintessentially Scandinavian. The floors are hardwood, there’s a sturdy work table with a vase of artfully arranged spider mums and the walls are lined with books on art, architecture and history. It’s bright, peaceful and inspiring.

Context: My last visit to Stockholm happened in January, when, thanks to its position just south of the 60th parallel north, the city gets maybe six hours of sunlight a day. So while the Swedish people were beautiful and immaculately dressed, the city was literally bathed in a moody sepia filter—it felt like a film noir come to life.

In June, it’s the reverse; the Swedish capital gets upwards of 16 hours of daylight, with residents moving about on foot or by bike as they spill out into streets-turned-makeshift patios. Which is why I have to smile when going through H&M’s Fall 2018 Studio Collection, because it was inspired, literally, by Twin Peaks—David Lynch’s small-screen homage to film noir.

According to Angelica Grimborg, the collection’s concept designer, she and the entire design team were obsessed with the show. “If you watched Twin Peaks, the heritage from that look is Marlon Brando or James Dean,” says Grimborg. “You can even see Marilyn Monroe all dressed in denim,” she adds, referencing the collection’s version of the Canadian tuxedo. A Cuban-heeled cowboy boot is Studio Collection’s riff on the Wild West, while a stunning pink and red midi-skirt can (depending on your mood) appear ombré or blood soaked. But with prices peaking at $350 (for an old-school leather aviator jacket), Studio Collection is neither mass nor designer.

A dedicated design team creates two lines a year. The Spring 2018 one was shown at Paris Fashion Week, and Fall 2018 will be available online and in select stores starting today, September 6.

Studio Collection is also a deeper reflection of what is going on behind the scenes, says the brand’s design director, Pernilla Wohlfahrt. The design team uses instinct instead of traditional R&D and asks “What is your in­spiration?” Wohlfahrt looks toward her colleague Grimborg—dressed in Studio Collection pants and a white tee that is stylishly frayed at the neckline—and adds: “Studio is a gut feeling. This is more ‘us.’”

Shop our favourite looks from the collection here.

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Photography Courtesy of H&M

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H&M Studio Fall 2018

V-neck Dress
($129, H&M)

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