Fashion News Alert: Victoria Beckham’s Store Venture, H&M Invades India, and Met Gala Red-Carpet Looks’ Quick Turnaround

H&M plans to spend around 100 million euros ($130 million dollars) to open 50 stores in India. H&M (Hennes and Mauritz), the world second largest fashion retailer, is hoping to tap into rising incomes in India and the country’s huge population.  “It is a very interesting market with a huge population and a growing middle class,” said Fredrik Olssen, head of H&M expansion, to Reuters.

H&M has over 2,800 stores in 49 countries with 80 percent of its sales in Europe. H&M’s biggest competitor, Inditex, which owns the brand Zara, has over 6,000 stores in 86 countries with 20 percent of its sales in Asia, compared to H&M’s 6 percent.

There is no word on when the first H&M store will open in India.

Victoria Beckham’s New Venture

Victoria Beckham has plans to open a signature store in London. “This is where I want to have my first store … I’d like to do something that is really new, really fresh. Something a little bit conceptual but not too much,” detailed Beckham.

Beckham who was a part of the 1990’s British all-girl band, The Spice Girls, ventured into fashion in 2004 with American denim brand, Rock and Republic, co-designing jeans, knitwear, and skirts before launching her own clothing line in 2006.

Victoria Beckham presents her collection regularly doing Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and has had her designs worn by Anne Hathaway, Beyonce Knowles, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Met Gala Red Carpet Looks

Red carpet looks seen at the annual Met Gala will be available for purchase hours after the event. Moda Operandi, the 2013 sponsor of the Met Gala, will have dresses by Nina Ricci, Balmain, Delpozo, Rodarte, Anthony Vacarello, and Wes Gordon available on May 7, the morning after the Met Gala on modaoperandi.com.

“Events like the Met Gala offer some of the most spectacular fashion moments because they inspire experimentation,” Moda Operandi co-founder Lauren Santo Domingo said in a statement. “We are thrilled to be able to provide women with access to the fashions from one the world’s most thrilling red carpet events.”

And for those antsy fashionista who cannot wait until the Met Gala, Moda Operandi will release a capsule collection featuring lower priced clothing by Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, and Vivienne Westwood, based on the Metropolitan Museum’s Punk: Chaos to Couture exhibit.

—Staff