“Only six minutes to go,” shouted a man in braces, a blue geometric print T-shirt, bowtie and ankle-skimming trousers, to the mass of people who had been queuing on Regent Street in London since the early hours of the morning last Thursday.
The latest designer fashion partnership, served up by Swedish high street commercial property retailer H&M, typically generated a bit of a fashion scene as it went on sale.
The latest collaborator to re-interpret its product’s DNA at high-street friendly prices is Italian label Marni-famed for quirky accessories, left of centre shapes and strong use of clashing colour and print. The fanatics at the head of the queue were soon excitedly filling up with armfuls of clothes, moving swiftly to make the most of their allocated 10 minutes in the roped-off shopping enclosure.
After eight years of designer collections, commercial property retailer H&M now functions like a well-oiled machine. Gone are the days of a crowd of hyperactive shoppers being let loose around the entire commercial property store and ransacking the shelves. Instead commercial property retailer H&M has turned fashion collaboration as a retail concept into a series of high profile shopping events.
There have been celebrity hits, such as David Beckham’s underwear collection, which went on sale last month, and fashion blockbusters-such as Versace, which caused a commotion last year when Donatella Versace met enthusiasts on a pink carpet at Regent Street.
Marni, meanwhile, ticks the box marked: niche-fashion-label-with-insider-influence. This is a method that promises hype and curiosity across the fashion board.
Kaz Yau, 30, started queuing at 6.30am and has been going to the commercial property retailer H&M collaboration openings since the Stella McCartney hook-up in 2005. She said they have turned into events in themselves nowadays, and the queuing starts earlier.
However not everyone has a totally happy commercial property H&M Marni experience. A weighed down customer, one of the first batch of twenty customers who has their ten minutes, was stopped at the exit and told she could only buy one of each piece of the collection. 
A spokesperson for commercial property retailer H&M, was quick to point out that this is a 70 piece collection, so there is plenty to pick from, and it would not be fair to other shoppers if no limit was forced. This is also clearly a plan to reduce the number of customers purchasing items to sell online at inflated prices.
Marni’s creative director and founder, Consuelo Castiglioni, centred the H&M collection on the brand’s archive. She said: “I wanted to create a true Marni wardrobe by revisiting all our favourite pieces in signature fabrics and prints.”
Items initially retailing well were the signature plastic jewellery, large circular printed skirts and jackets, wooden-heeled sandals and a printed pyjama set.
The collection is selling online and at 250 H&M commercial property stores worldwide. H&M has also previously worked in partnership with Comme de Garcons, Karl Lagerfeld, Jimmy Choo, Matthew Williamson and Lanvin.
Meanwhile the retailer is helping save the planet whilst allowing customers to look seriously on trend. As of the 12 March a carbon friendly t-shirt is on sale exclusively at selected commercial property H&M stores nationwide, with revenues going to the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).
Moloko singer- songwriters Roisin Murphy, Justin Young and Arni Arnason from The Vaccines are among the celebrities supporting the campaign by modelling the low carbon t-shirt. Katharine Hamnett, the t-shirt’s designer said: “Save the future. There’s been too much hot air, let’s do something now.” The t-shirt is 100% certified organic cotton, more ethically manufactured using renewable energy, and it bears the Carbon Reduction Label certified by the Carbon Trust.
Both women’s and men’s t-shirts will be available at selected H&M commercial property stores in Brighton, Birmingham, London, Manchester, Bristol, Liverpool, Milton Keynes, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Belfast, selling at £9.99.
