We live in a time where polish, perfection and productivity define our output. For a brand like H&M, where demand for newness fuels its business model, there's also been an increasing desire for pieces made to last. Enter: H&M Studio. Launched in 2013 and conceived as a more elevated offering, the line gives the H&M customer a more luxury feel, while remaining within an accessible pricepoint. For over a decade, the brand has launched seasonal collections that prioritize timelessness and quality over fleeting trends.
But timelessness doesn't negate an element of surprise. For Spring/Summer 2026, this was the starting point for H&M Studio womenswear designer Ann-Sofie Johanssen, who wanted to explore themes of eccentricity through a contemporary, wearable framework. “Don't we need a little bit of eccentricity again?" Johanssen says, possibly as a response to the endless churn of AI slop we're inundated with each day. For the collection, she references the iconic film Grey Gardens and its two leading characters, Edie Bouvier Beale and her mother, Edith, who "use their clothes in a way that's very refreshing," she says.
H&M
The resulting collection, which debuted during London Fashion Week this season, was one that was deliberately off beat. Unexpected proportions are spliced with the smaller details, like the neckline of a knit cardigan extending past the hem, adorned with a bow, or suit pants that look as though they have been purposefully pinned to fit. Johanssen wanted to make sure these moments spoke to the overarching idea if eccentricity. “It’s about the details of an individual," she says. "A little tweak, a little weirdness, a wackiness almost to it.” There were satin lingerie tops with cutout shoulders and a check coat with an elongated drop neckline, making it feel more reminiscent of a robe rather than a coat, each of these details gave way to a collection that felt both timeless and unique.
H&M
I got to see the collection up close in London this February, and spotted some classic pieces I'm sure will sell swiftly: a great funnel-neck leather bomber, and a single-breasted blazer with short lapels that felt very '90s and in line with the current silhouettes we are seeing on the runways. There were lingerie details in a mint mesh skirt which was trimmed with tiny black bows and the same elastic you’d find on your undergarments, or a wine-red mesh dress that was overlapped with sheer black details. Knitwear was soft and spring-focussed, offered in mint and pale pink, which in the campaign images are paired with jeans painted with the same pink-tone, and elsewhere in a classic worn-in blue denim.
H&M
“I think the style we have is getting clearer and more defined for each season," Johanssen notes, on the topic of the brand’s Studio evolution, which has expanded with Studio Essentials—the more basic, wardrobe staple counterpart of the Studio line. “The foundation of the studio is really great tailoring and then we have a little bit of that femininity," she says. "It's always a tension between femininity and masculinity, or hard and soft. It's something that is a little bit more effortless, and cooler.”
