The Selfish Seamstress, being your run-of-the-mill self-absorbed, sewing-obsessed eccentric, is generally uninterested in reading anything on topics other than:
1) Sewing
2) Herself
3) Why cat friends are better than people friends
As such, she’s not one to get terribly engaged in United Airlines’ seat pocket magazine, Hemispheres, as so few of the articles deal with those very important subjects. Nevertheless, as she was flipping through something pretty caught her eye:
I tore the article out of the magazine, and then, as you can see, it got a little crumpled in my bag.
Maybe I’ve been hiding under a rock and am the last one to know, but in case I’m not and there one or two of you out there who haven’t yet heard, H&M apparently has a home decor line which is heavy on the textiles! Yes, this from Hemispheres:
“H&M Home launches its spring line of textiles and soft accessories featuring a pop-inspired aesthetic – think psychedelic pillows depicting Viking princesses, paint splattered duvet covers and graphic throw blankets… The bad news? So far the linens are available only online in Sweden and its Nordic neighbors (plus Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands)… the jawdropping prices (4.90 to 49.90 euros, or around $6.50-$68, for everything from candy-striped cushion covers to organic cotton bed sets), are earning the company plaudits fro design-hungry bloggers around the globe.”
Forget about cushion covers; I’m picturing the dresses I could make from the bedsheet version of that purple flower pillow and they’re looking very good indeed. And this tablecloth too.
I’ve got a bit of a love/hate relationship with H&M. On one hand I love the fact that they bring design to the masses, and on the other hand I’ve got guilt over their labor practices (one of the many reasons that I sew for myself). If I had a third hand, I would use it to point to their inconsistent quality and workmanship. But this new development is going to make it interesting. I’m downright giddy at the thought of H&M perhaps one day selling fabric off the bolt, like Ikea or Marimekko, a potential game changer. Did I mention that I might have to go to Helsinki next month?
The Selfish Seamstress 
16 comments
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April 12, 2010 at 8:49 am
beangirl
I had never heard of H&M until I started reading certain (obnoxiously self-absorbed) sewing blogs. Then I realized the very logical reason for this ignorance: H&M only exists on the COASTS of this country (and EVERYone knows that the coasts are not, of course, “real”). So of course, despite being incredibly hip, cool, and SUPERAWESOME, I was not aware that this unreal store might carry equally unreal textiles. Now I have to figure out a way to get some unreal person and/or postal worker to send me something from this imaginary place.
Oh yeah. If you’re in Helsinki, please pick up a reindeer for me. I need one. Oh, also about ten meters of Merimeko Pieni Unikko II (the grey and black one). Thanks.
April 12, 2010 at 9:00 am
Meredith P
I can see potential in the bedsheet arena, even I could get a garment out of one or two of those.
If you find articles about Why cat friends are better than people friends
please pass them along. They are, of course, but am always interested in discussions of the topic.
April 12, 2010 at 9:00 am
kathleen
H&M sells fabric? I have never been in H&M. We may have to ask our daughter to do some reconnaissance
April 12, 2010 at 9:06 am
Karin
Hm, I’m totally with you here. Their home-decor line is fabulous. But the conditions in their suppliers (and I think most other big textile/fashion-companies) factories just disturb me to bits, and I’m on a soon to be two month long boycot of them and other companies alike. I’ll probably stay on it for some time…
What disgusts me the most is that their stock is now the highest rated of all on the Swedish stock-exchange, and that the founder-family-members are among the 10 richest people in the WORLD. So there really is no need to keep the poor workers wages as low as they obviously do, they AND the stock-owners would most likely still make a LOT of money if they paid the workers a bit better, and they would probably still sell LOADS of clothes if they adjusted the prices a bit to make room for higher wages.
I can’t get over it.
And it also really disturbs me that one of my closer friends went to primary school with the president of H&M (one of the owners) and I’m too I don’t know, polite? scared? well behaved? to use that fact to at least try to make a change.
At least I know from her that he was one of the nice ones (not as in polite ones, but as in nice), so maybe there is hope. Hopefully he has a good heart and will make a difference to all this in the future.
Until then: eyecandy.
April 12, 2010 at 10:09 am
Kate
From wikipedia: “In a press release, H&M announced that it would begin selling home furnishings. As of 2009, it is distributed exclusively by H&M’s internet catalog, so it is only available in countries where H&M is sold online, such as Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Germany.”
I wondered why I hadn’t heard. But I’m in the US, and it’s not available here, so there’s my answer.
April 12, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Evelyn
I have 2 big H&M stores within walking distance of my home here in Austria. I love to look at the window displays. But I don’t buy at H&M. I don’t want to support a company that would rather intentionally slash/ruin nice clothing (including winter coats, hats, gloves etc.) in New York City rather than donate to the homeless – in the middle of winter no less. They are shameless! NY Times article http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/nyregion/06about.html
April 12, 2010 at 2:06 pm
selfishseamstress
I’m sure that the slashing was not the only sin of H&M (or other mass market clothing manufacturers, for that matter). But to be fair, at least that particular practice has apparently been stopped and, at least according to the company, may not have been standard practice:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/hm-says-it-will-stop-destroying-unworn-clothing/
Not defending H&M’s practices, but it’s only fair to point out developments since that incident was exposed.
April 12, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Henriette
Your unselfish Dane will be happy to help you out if you need a Nordic fabric pusher…
Just send me an email…
Henriette
April 12, 2010 at 4:49 pm
Eve
There’s also an H&M (maybe even 2) in Atlanta.
April 12, 2010 at 5:53 pm
ShelliDawn
I love this blog. One of the reasons can be summed up in this statement:
“If I had a third hand, I would use it to point to their inconsistent quality and workmanship.”
Standing ovation as I laugh hysterically at this. Not only because it’s clever, but I concur! I live in Manhattan and cannot help but pass an H&M every few blocks in certain areas. I used to love going in there to get “filler” items. Now, my skin crawls just to look at their window displays knowing that any item inside may be the one that –> I <– buy that will inevitable rip apart/come undone/unravel/etc, etc. as soon as I get home. A few pieces I have from them are okay, but they are consistently inconsistent in their quality. …but, some of the textiles are definitely tempting me… Thanks for sharing this info about their new direction into the home decor arena!
April 12, 2010 at 7:27 pm
lorrwill
I think I am too old to go into an H&M without being stared at viciously and or followed around like a deranged person or driven out of my skull by the way, way too loud music until I left.
Like when I mistakenly wandered into an Abercrombie & Fitch.
The HORROR!
April 12, 2010 at 8:20 pm
beangirl
Last week I was forced to go to The Mall -shudder- and I found I had to sidle around the far wall of the corridor to avoid the spontaneous bleeding from the ears and nose that walking too close to the Abercrombie and Fitch store caused. No wait! That wasn’t Abercrombie and Fitch. It was Aeropostale. Or was it Jos. A Banks.
Those are all different stores, right?
April 13, 2010 at 1:45 am
ann lindholm
Oh, if you are coming to Helsinki, you must go to Marimekko outlet store in Herttonimemi. There they sell their homedecor fabrics and also clothing fabrics.
April 13, 2010 at 4:53 am
Dava
Oh boy. I’m swooning from the concept of a Marimekko outlet store. Elaine, you have to go and report back!!!
April 13, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Hana Marmota
Me too. I should mark it down in all my notebooks and all my books, to make sure I’ll have the address at me when I finally make it to Helsinki one day. :D
No, wait. I should mark it in my map of Helsinki. Ha!
April 13, 2010 at 6:12 am
Lindsay T
Just catching up on my blog reading here and saw your reference to me in an earlier post about people landing on my blog because they’re searching for stuff about Chanel ballet flats. I bet they running screaming when they discover I’m a boring middle-aged woman who makes her own clothes….