H&M Group has begun the build-up to the relaunch of its Cheap Monday label. Now part of the wider youth-focused Weekday offer, Cheap Monday will reappear as a dedicated denim label featuring the silhouettes young women and men are drawn to with regular limited editions that maximise the experimental side of denim design.
The company said the label is “here to embody the hot-headed, quirky & loud, spirit of youth culture”.
So the ramping up of activity ahead of the launch late this summer has been far from traditional.
Instead of a big all-singing, all-dancing preview, the brand has been conducting one-on-one briefings in cool, far-from-polished spaces (in the case of the UK in East London) with designer Alice Shulman In attendance.
The company talked of the “multilayered world of Cheap Monday, where indie sleaze meets goth, desperation, and maybe even cute hyper-pop. Here, you’ll discover an exploration of various traits and personalities, a juxtaposition that ultimately becomes a role-play within youth culture. As this thrilling yet unruly brand launches this summer, it evokes the spirit of sleaze and the revival of skinny jeans”.
The curated denim assortment will be available at Weekday.com, selected Weekday stores, and other retailers. On show at the London event were a number of customised not-for-sale jeans to illustrate just what the medium can achieve, as well as the main range. As mentioned, skinny jeans really are leading the charge.
Cheap Monday isn’t the only label trying to drive the trend back to skinnies but as a key name for the youth segment, it’s one whose endorsement of the silhouette could be key.
“Cheap Monday is a coming-of-age sensation, hitting the nerve of the young generation empowering them to express themselves authentically through their clothing and change their style as they please,” said MD Kim Holm.
This first summer drop features a range of “expressive yet affordable denim that embodies the Cheap Monday aesthetic”.
There are the aforementioned super-stretch skinny jeans, plus low-waist bootcuts, hyper-flared and slouchy pieces, plus exaggerated designs with loose, baggy, and “expressive styles”.
The company said “it’s all about reimagining history and embracing the fearless youth spirit, drawing inspiration from post-punk, pop, underground music, art, nepo babies, and true idols – all the weird allure that’s not for everyone, and that’s precisely the point”.
Shulman, who’s worked on the revival with her small team for the past year, said: “Cheap Monday conveys a rush of restlessness, speed, and compulsion. Our design language speaks volumes – confident, innocent, and unapologetically bold. You can expect only strange, fun, bordering-on-sinister behaviour from now on.”
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