Liya Kebede’s lemlem is releasing a capsule collection with H&M on May 6, the model and designer announced on her Instagram page. “Lemlem in Amharic means to blossom and I hope this is the beginning of a blossoming new era for fashion, with hopefully more sustainability, more visibility to black owned brands, more heritage and of course more of a much needed, more colorful and more uplifting wardrobe palette for our world today,” she wrote.
Known for a chic yet effortless aesthetic, easy-to-wear designs and artisanal details, there’s also a modern elegance that radiates from lemlem and Kebede herself. For this collaboration, traditional handwoven materials often found in lemlem’s pieces are translated into cover-ups, sundresses, tops, shorts, trousers, swimwear, jewellery and accessories. Crafted from more sustainable materials including organic linen, recycled polyester and Tencel™ Lyocell, each piece is about being joyful — it’s sunny, light and breezy. lemlem’s signature stripes and colour-blocking sit alongside the key elements of fluidity and soft textures. The colour palette includes shades of blue, white, bright orange, soft pink, neons and a hint of pale yellow. There’s also a timeless feel overall in the collection, with the idea that pieces can be passed down from generation to generation.
Says Kebede, “I love that H&M has always been at the forefront of doing really cool collaborations. So for lemlem, it’s really exciting to be part of that group of collaborating brands. It’s also a first for us to add jewellery as part of this collection and create a whole lemlem look. My creative direction included the campaign, too, which was so much fun and special because I got to shoot with my daughter.”
“With lemlem, you can’t help but notice its ease and elegance, which Liya Kebede obviously and beautifully embodies, too. It was wonderful to have Liya’s creative input at every step in this collaboration. We were also really happy to include more sustainable materials throughout the collection and just can’t wait to launch it around the world,” says Maria Östblom, Head of Design at H&M, about the collaboration. H&M also pledged to donate $100,000 to the lemlem Foundation.
For more information and background around the campaign, including additional imagery and products, please source H&M Magazine.
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Photo Credit: Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com