Some girls have ALL the luck!
Queue online for hours for Simone Rocha’s H&M gear? Not if you’re Laura Whitmore or Eve Hewson
IT WASN’T quite the frenzy designer Simone Rocha might have hoped for when her collaboration with H&M dropped this week – with fans left in a frenzy of fury after failing to bag a piece of Rocha couture.
Fashion followers across the globe were left disappointed and angry after the Simone Rocha x H&M range sold out instantly – only to reappear for sale on eBay hours later at multiple times the sale price.
In a concerted effort to attract shoppers to its website in advance of the release, H&M gifted pieces from the limited edition collection to celebrities such as Laura Whitmore and Eve Hewson who showcased it to their fanbase.
But the backlash was swift as thousands of frustrated shoppers vented their rage that limitededition freebies were gifted to influencers and celebs while genuine fans went empty-handed.
The Simone Rocha x H&M launch was widely criticised as a ‘debacle’, a ‘cynical marketing ploy using customers as fools’ and a ‘customer relations disaster’.
The advance marketing, including rapturous articles in mainstream and online publications, would have seen H&M benefiting from tens of millions worth of free advertising – which didn’t go unnoticed by angry fashion followers.
‘Just seen a headband on eBay for €250… it’s absolutely disgusting that you do this for VIPs who then take advantage,’ one wrote.
‘So upsetting. So H&M and Simone got their profits, cool, happy for them, as it really is a great collection. However! How and why is it ok if I want to purchase item, to overpay 100% and more.
‘Absolutely didn’t expect this to be so low level,’ another disgruntled shopper noted.
‘H&M was talking about this collaboration for over a month. They released articles on website, magazine and posted thousands [sic] about it on Instagram. Then supply didn’t even last a day. Now we clearly see the purpose of collaboration. It was for brand advertisement. Not for sale. Great strategy,’ yet another wrote.
The sartorial furore began in the early hours when shoppers logged on to the H&M site only to be informed they were in ‘the queue’, despite being assured by H&M in the run up to the launch that the items would be available to buy at 8am, with no mention of a queuing system.
H&M had also assured people that there was plenty of stock and to hang on as they would not be disappointed. It also failed to provide a wait time leaving shoppers hanging on for up to three hours before accessing the site – only to find out that the collection had sold out.
The popular fashion chain had embarked on a relentless campaign prior to the release of the Simone Rocha collaboration.
In response to questions from the Irish Mail on Sunday, H&M said it was ‘sorry’ some customers were left disappointed.
‘Our designer collaborations are always extremely popular and this collection with Simone Rocha was no exception. We produce a limited run of this type of collection and we are sorry that on this occasion, some customers were not able to purchase the pieces they most wanted before they sold out.’
The statement went on: ‘Whilst we appreciate that this is disappointing, we put measures in place to ensure that the online shopping experience was fair for all customers that joined the queue to access the collection,’ said a H&M spokesman.
‘Cynical marketing ploy using customers as fools’