H&M facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB

Trade name	H&M Group
Type	Public
Traded as	OMX: HM B OMX Stockholm 30
ISIN	ISIN: [https://isin.toolforge.org/?language=en&isin=SE0000106270 SE0000106270]
Industry	Retail
Founded	1947; 78 years ago (1947) (as Hennes) Västerås, Sweden
Founder	Erling Persson
Headquarters	Stockholm , Sweden
Number of locations	4,338 stores (2024)
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Karl-Johan Persson (chairman) Daniel Erver (CEO and president)
Products	Clothing Accessories
Brands	COS Other Stories Weekday Monki Cheap Monday ARKET H&M Home Afound Sellpy
Revenue	US$24.8 billion (2019)
Operating income	US$1.8 billion (2019)
Net income	US$1.5 billion (2019)
Total assets	US$19.3 billion (2019)
Total equity	US$6.919 billion (2016)
Owner	Stefan Persson (36%)
Number of employees	140,000 (2024)

H&M is a very popular clothing company from Sweden. Its full name is H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB. H&M is known for its "fast fashion," which means they quickly bring new styles from the runway to their stores. They sell clothes, accessories, and even home items.

H&M has thousands of stores in many countries around the world. They employ over 100,000 people. It is the second-largest clothing retailer globally. Erling Persson started the company in 1947. The current CEO, Daniel Ervér, took over in January 2024.

The Story of H&M

An H&M store on Fifth Avenue in New York City

How H&M Started

The company began in 1947 in Västerås, Sweden. Erling Persson opened the first shop. It was called Hennes, which means 'hers' in Swedish. At first, it only sold women's clothing. In 1964, another store opened in Norway.

In 1968, Persson bought a hunting clothing store called Mauritz Widforss. This store was in Stockholm. After this, H&M started selling menswear too. The company's name then changed to Hennes & Mauritz.

Growing Around the World

H&M became a public company in 1974. This meant people could buy shares in the company. Soon after, in 1976, the first H&M store outside of Scandinavia opened in London. H&M continued to open more stores across Europe.

In 1998, H&M started selling clothes online. Their website, hm.com, was registered in 1997. The company expanded beyond Europe in 2000. They opened their first U.S. store in New York City on Fifth Avenue.

H&M for Your Home

In 2008, H&M announced they would start selling home furnishings. These items were first sold online. Now, you can find H&M Home products in special H&M Home stores worldwide.

The H&M Home section in an Antwerp store

Other Cool Brands by H&M

H&M has launched several other brands. These include COS, Weekday, Monki, and Cheap Monday. These brands came out as H&M grew in Asia. In 2017, H&M also started a new store concept called Arket.

H&M has also partnered with other brands. For example, they worked with Good American. This brand was started by Khloé Kardashian and Emma Grede. Their products were featured in H&M's online shops in Sweden and Germany.

More Stores Opening

By the end of 2011, H&M had 2,325 stores. This number grew to 2,629 by August 2012. In September 2013, H&M opened its 3000th store in Chengdu, China. The company announced in 2023 that it would open stores in Brazil starting in 2025.

Changes During COVID-19

In October 2020, H&M shared plans to close some stores in 2021. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. H&M closed 250 shops globally. They moved more of their business online.

Leaving the Russian Market

In March 2022, H&M stopped its business in Russia. This was because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. H&M had over 150 stores in Russia. They said they stood "with all the people who are suffering" in Ukraine. Russia was H&M's sixth-biggest market at that time. H&M also temporarily closed its stores in Ukraine.

Where H&M Gets Its Products

H&M gets its clothes from many countries. The main places where H&M products are made are China and Bangladesh. While H&M's main office is in Sweden, they also have 21 supplier and factory locations there.

Working with Designers

H&M is famous for working with well-known fashion designers and celebrities. These special collections are often very popular and sell out quickly!

In November 2004, Karl Lagerfeld created a special collection. It sold out in big cities within an hour.
Stella McCartney launched a collection in November 2006.
Dutch designers Viktor & Rolf also had a collection in November 2006.
Pop star Madonna designed a collection in March 2007.
Italian designer Roberto Cavalli collaborated in November 2007.
Finnish company Marimekko was a guest designer in spring 2008.
Japanese fashion label Comme des Garçons partnered with H&M in fall 2008.
British designer Matthew Williamson created two collections for spring and summer 2009. He even designed menswear for the first time.
On November 14, 2009, Jimmy Choo released a limited collection. It included handbags, shoes, and clothing.
French designer Sonia Rykiel designed knitwear and lingerie in December 2009.
French fashion house Lanvin created "Lanvin Hearts H&M" in fall 2010. This made Lanvin clothes more affordable.
For Spring and Summer 2011, H&M worked with fashion blogger Elin Kling.
H&M announced a collaboration with Versace in June 2011. It was released in November.
H&M partnered with Marni in November 2011. Director Sofia Coppola led the campaign.
Vogue Japan editor Anna Dello Russo launched an accessories collection in October 2012.
H&M worked with avant-garde label Maison Martin Margiela for a fall collection in 2012.
Isabel Marant was a designer for fall 2013. Her collection, including some men's pieces, sold out very fast.
At the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, H&M announced its first collaboration with an American designer. Alexander Wang's collection came out in November 2014.
Balmain was the next collaboration, announced by designer Olivier Rousteing in 2015.
In November 2016, H&M released a line with Kenzo. They also had a Christmas movie directed by Wes Anderson.
Swedish singer Zara Larsson designed a "playful" collection in February 2017.
After 20 years, Naomi Campbell collaborated with H&M for a female empowerment commercial in fall 2017.
Designers Jeremy Scott and Moschino worked with the brand in April 2018.
H&M collaborated with designer Richard Allan in July 2019. This brought back a 1960s style.
The Fleur du Soleil collection was released in August 2020. This was H&M's first partnership with an Arab designer, Sandra Mansour.
Irish designer Simone Rocha was announced as a partner in March 2021.

Being Sustainable and Eco-Friendly

H&M works on being more sustainable and helping the environment.

Recycling Clothes

Since February 2013, H&M has offered vouchers for used clothes. You can bring in old garments, and they are recycled. This helps create a "zero waste" economy.

Protecting Forests

In April 2014, H&M joined other companies to change their supply chain. They wanted to avoid using materials from endangered forests. H&M teamed up with a group called Canopy. This helped remove materials from old forests from their fabrics.

The H&M Foundation

The H&M Foundation is a non-profit group started in 2014. It funds projects to help people and the environment in fashion. The Persson family, who own H&M, put a lot of money into this foundation. One project is the Green Machine. This technology helps recycle clothes like aluminum cans. The foundation also gives out the Global Change Award. This is a million-euro prize for new recycling ideas in fashion.

Stopping Brazilian Leather Purchases

In September 2019, H&M stopped buying leather from Brazil. This was because of the 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires. They wanted to make sure their leather did not harm the Amazon rainforest.

Sustainability Ambassador

Actress Maisie Williams became a global sustainability ambassador for H&M in April 2021. She helped with a campaign to use only recycled or sustainable materials by 2030. She even appeared as a digital character in the video game Animal Crossing to teach about recycling.

Renting Clothes

In May 2021, H&M started a temporary service to rent suits. Men could rent suits for up to 24 hours for job interviews. This service began in the UK and was also tested in the United States.

Using Feathers and Wool

By the end of 2025, H&M plans to stop using new (virgin) down or feathers in their products. They aim for all feathers to come from recycled items. In 2019, H&M also decided to stop using wool from mulesed sheep. By 2025, they had completely phased this out.

H&M's Other Stores

An H&M store in Novi Sad, Serbia

An H&M store at the Pavilions Shopping Centre, Birmingham, UK

The H&M Asia flagship store in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Map of H&M stores in the U.S. as of April 2023

Six Special Brands

Besides the main H&M brand, the company has six other unique brands. These are Afound, Arket, COS, Monki, Weekday, and & Other Stories.

COS

COS opened its first main store in London in March 2007. Its style is simple and modern. COS focuses on clothing that lasts longer than just one season. COS has stores in many countries and also sells online.

Working Conditions

H&M has worked to improve conditions for workers in its supply chain.

Factory Safety

In April 2013, the Rana Plaza building collapsed in Bangladesh. Over 1,100 people died, mostly garment workers. This was a very sad event. H&M and other companies signed an agreement to improve factory safety in Bangladesh.

In May 2013, a textile factory in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, that made clothes for H&M also collapsed. Several people were hurt. These events highlighted the need for better safety rules.

Fair Wages

In November 2013, H&M said it would work to pay all textile workers a "living wage" by 2018. This means enough money to cover basic needs. Wages in Bangladesh were increased in late 2013.

Supply Chain Transparency

H&M has shared a list of factories that supply most of its clothes. This helps people see where their clothes come from. It also helps make sure that factories are following good practices.

Concerns About Labor Practices

In the past, there were concerns about child labor and forced labor in some places. H&M has stated that it is against forced labor and has taken steps to address these issues. For example, H&M stopped buying cotton from the Xinjiang region in China due to concerns about forced labor there. H&M has also joined the Fair Labour Association (FLA) and aims to achieve fair living wages throughout its supply chain.