Since 2013, global retailer H&M has been investing in its high-fashion presence by releasing a biannual Studio collection, a limited-edition line of more elevated, luxury-leaning pieces sold at higher prices than the company’s standard in-store offerings.
But as Fashionista reports, at H&M’s February presentation during London Fashion Week, Ann-Sofie Johansson, creative advisor and head of design for womenswear, told Fashionista in an exclusive interview that the team has developed a “little bit of a recipe” for the Studio collections over the years — one that is deeply rooted in “really impeccable tailoring,” she said.
After last season’s capsule of crisp, balanced and clean-cut essentials, the brand switched to a quirkier sensibility for Spring 2026, all while maintaining that dedication to well-cut staples. “Maybe everything is becoming a little too perfect. If you look at what AI [has done], a lot of things look like they have an AI filter, and we wanted to step away from that,” said Johansson.
“We started to talk about eccentricity, which actually means off-center. So we thought about [the H&M customer] being a little bit more rebellious, maybe wearing clothes in a way that people don’t usually wear the clothes.” An unassuming pair of black pleated dress trousers is made all the more interesting by wing-like leftover fabric pinned at the waist; a pair of burgundy pumps are wrapped tightly in fabric, making the shoes seem more like an illusion than actual footwear.
“Translating the eccentricity into the collection is very much about the small details that make a big difference,” Johansson explained. “It could be a button that you button in another way and maybe twist [the piece] a little bit. It could be the drop neckline on a checked coat resembling a bathrobe. All those little things add a bit of weirdness or wackiness, but not too much. It’s still H&M. Even though it’s Studio, it’s still so wearable.”
Softer elements — like a tiny bow near the hem of a pencil skirt and rouching on a dress — balance out the sharp silhouettes of the collection’s leather bomber jackets, straight-leg denim and tailoring. In contrast, one of the standout pieces is a cold-shoulder silk-y top with various lace trimmings at every hem.
“It’s always about being a little more street with a denim and a crewneck sweatshirt, which also adds a bit of an edge to it, and leather pieces as well,” said the design lead. “[But] we have those kinds of feminine elements to go with that. And also brilliant accessories, which are so important to just pull the look together and make the most of the look.”
You can take a look at the SS 2026 Studio collection at the H&M site now and shop it both online and in stores when it launches on March 5.
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