London Fashion Week kicks off today (February 20th) and earlier this week the first episode of the latest season of The White Lotus drama series aired.

To bring the two cultural moments together, H&M has partnered with the HBO original series to create a collection and campaign inspired by the series. The campaign is launching on the first day of London Fashion Week.

As the seasons shift, slowly but surely, from Winter into Spring, the warmth of Summer isn’t far away. Evoking the feeling of a luxury resort summer holiday, the latest collection from H&M gets consumers ready for vacations to come, by leaning into planning excitement and escapism, and capitalising on a cultural moment.

The White Lotus received much critical acclaim for its first two seasons, which has driven considerable hype for season three. In fact, the third season of The White Lotus had 2.4 million cross-platform viewers on its opening night. This was the highest number of premiere viewers that the show has experienced, a 57% increase on the premiere of season two.

With such high popularity, the collaboration with H&M made sense. Leaning into popular culture and arts, this latest collection from the high street retailer brings fiction to life and gives fans the chance to engage with the show outside of viewership. The womenswear collection was produced with the help of Alex Bovaird, the costume designer of The White Lotus.

Launching on social media, the campaign teased the collection with a simple and on theme Instagram post. @HM posted an airport security tray with some of the new accessories and a H&M x The White Lotus branded boarding pass. More posts followed in the days after, featuring “it girl” and model, Gabriette, sporting the new collection.

On TikTok, the first video launching the campaign featured the boarding pass and Gabriette, and gained 7.3 million views. Subsequent videos took a more low-fi approach, with Gabriette and another model, Akima, partaking in online trends.

Comprising bold colours, floral patterns, and old-money, casual chic silhouettes and materials, the collection echoes familiar imagery from the series. It pulls on the aesthetics of the show’s signature colour grading, iconic opening credits, and the costumes of the characters themselves. Deep greens, muted blues and yellows, and jungle-esque design features heavily in the promotional imagery for season three. These colours and themes are carried through to the 25-piece womenswear collection.

At the same time, H&M hints at quiet luxury, a trend popularised on social media, mirroring the attire of the wealthy characters. The collection offers silky kaftans, elevated basics, and simple but statement accessories, which include a woven handbag and chic sliders.

Ann-Sofie Johansson, Creative Advisor at H&M, said: “To do a The White Lotus collection is to tap into a real cultural moment – it also meant we could create a glamorous and dreamy resort collection. I believe that as a person, you are more daring on vacation; you can have a different persona, and you communicate that in the way you dress.”

Alex Bovaird, Costume Designer of ‘The White Lotus’, added: “I loved working with the team at H&M on the designs for the collection. We always have this little catchphrase on the show: ‘Nothing's too much for The White Lotus!’ So, I'm drawn more to the bold patterns and the more sumptuous, billowing pieces. I love that the collection can be worn all day — something you could just throw on to go to breakfast or the pool, or you could add jewellery and wear it to dinner. There’s something for everyone. The collection incorporates the jungle, the show’s bright iconic colours, and some gold and glitz that signify a stylish and luxurious resort vacation”.

Embracing the anticipation for and excitement of summer vacations, and the latest season of a much-loved TV drama, the H&M and The White Lotus collection demonstrates the marketing value of escapism. At the same time launching in the midst of London Fashion Week successfully solidifies the brands’ place in culture.

Image credit: H&M