H&M's Here for it Platform Captures Young Women's Relationship with Fashion

H&M collaborates with Mother London to send a love letter to young British women and their wardrobes; the agency's first work for the brand is a mix of always-on and hero social content plus eye-catching OOH, launched for the key ‘back to campus’ window. 

Using insights gathered over hours of conversations with young women across the UK, H&M and Mother set out to understand how what women wear tells a story about their feelings: from what she reaches for on bloated period days, to the thing she simply isn’t herself without, to the joy of compliments from other women on a night out. In the glossy world of fashion, small (sometimes only earring-sized) truths like these often go unacknowledged. 

Paulina Kårelius, head of customer activation and marketing H&M UK&I commented: “The relationship between what we wear and how we feel runs deep. Being a young woman can feel joyful, vulnerable, powerful - and everything in between. We wanted this work to be an honest window into young womanhood.

“The Here for It platform talks truthfully about young women’s relationship with fashion - in all its complexity. Fashion can be the signaller of who we are, and something we want to hide behind. It can be where we find our confidence, and how we find our friends. It can be the only thing we want to focus on, and then all we want to ignore. It can improve how we feel about an entire day, and it can ruin an entire night.”

The Back to Campus elements of the campaign, running from 1st September, celebrate the multitude of feelings towards fashion at this crucial time, to foster confidence by owning both the positive and the negative experiences connected to this age. It is a time of year representing formative life experiences for many women - whether stepping into the bewildering world of work, leaving home for education or heading back to school. The campaign surfaces the emotional relationship between women and their clothes in these moments.

Jess Reynolds, creative director at Mother London added: “We wanted to capture the truthful interplay between young women and their fashion choices… from nervous first day energy, to attempting ‘smart-casual’ at work, or not feeling ‘done’ until earrings are in, through to the pure unadulterated joy of a compliment from a stranger.

“It’s moments like these that are key when young women think of fashion. We stayed away from showing stereotypical ‘boss babes’ or an overly perfect glossy aesthetic, instead presenting them in a way that was actually relatable and authentic for our audience. Our social films and OOH are hopefully surprising and refreshing takes on fashion feelings that spread H&M Here For It vibes.”

Selection of Back to Campus.

Throughout 2022, an always on approach to social puts Here For It in the hands of content creators, amplifying their real feelings about fashion. 

Vairi MacLennan, head of content at Mother London said: “Social sits at the heart of the relationship between young women and fashion, as an ever-accelerating trend cycle brings both pressures and pleasures. Together with H&M, we created an Always On Newsroom to monitor this cycle, combining real-time data with real conversations with young women to identify and understand the style topics that matter most. Alongside influencer specialists, Whalar, we’ve engaged with young female creators to bring each topic to life, sharing their perspective on what it means to be Here For It.”