H&M wants the world to Move, and it has brought in heavy hitters Jane Fonda and JaQuel Knight to help them do it.
As AdWeek reports, the retailer has set its sights on “democratizing sportswear” with the launch of a new brand, H&M Move that “aims to equip the world with stylish and functionable ‘movewear’ that will support movers of all abilities and skills to move comfortably and confidently in a multitude of ways.” To help convey their message (and sell the activewear line), H&M has gotten Academy Awarding-winning actor, activist and ultimate 80’s aerobics star Jane Fonda, and renowned choreographer JaQuel Knight to star in the campaign.
The brand, which launches Aug. 4 and includes collections for men, women and kids, will be available at 2,500 H&M stores worldwide, as well as online. The launch includes two drops, the first of which is Move Essentials, which includes tops, lightweight jackets, tights and bras, “alongside items specifically designed to train and run,” according to the retailer. Another collection, H&M Move Monogram, includes a line of tracksuits “sporting logo play and reflective detailing.”
It’s the Move Monogram collection that will feature actress and fitness icon Jane Fonda and JaQuel Knight—the tireless force behind many of Beyoncé, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s most famous dance moves. The entertaining, multigenerational and high-energy effort features the duo with an active cast of characters showing off their own moves through dancing, stretching, skating and other activities.
For Fonda, who revolutionized the fitness industry 40 years ago when she released her eponymous Original Workout video, being in the campaign brings her fitness career full circle after becoming a household name in the ‘80s doing exercises she continues to practice in her 80s. “H&M Move is really focused on getting the whole world moving, something I’ve spent a lot of my own life doing,” Fonda said in a statement. “I also really liked their philosophy of ‘movewear’ over ‘sportswear.’ It’s not about sports being the most athletic or being thin. It’s about giving your body the movement it needs to best take care of you.”
Fonda added that movement has enabled her to stay healthy throughout her life. “And in my opinion, the older you are, the more important it is to move—even if it’s VERY slow, as it is for me,” she added.