• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, October 25, 2017

H&M is putting on the glitz for its latest high-fashion collaboration, with an elaborate film for the new Erdem X H&M collection, due in stores Nov. 2. Directed by Baz Luhrmann, best known for his Moulin Rouge and the Great Gatsby extravaganzas, “The Secret Life of Flowers” clocks in at over four minutes, and is a love story set in an elaborate country mansion where it is always spring. Besides the large cast, including Harriet Walter (“Atonement”) and a smattering of well-known models, there are plenty of costume changes highlighting the new collection. (It’s set to “Hypnotised,” an exclusive track from Years & Years, the British electronica band.)

The Swedish fast-fashion giant also previewed the Erdem collaboration with a bash in Los Angeles, transforming a nightclub into an English botanical garden, with plants shaping the runway.

The partnership with the Turkish-Canadian designer comes at a time when H&M, like many retailers, is struggling to bring shoppers inside its stores. In its most recent results, the company reported a sales increase of 4% in local currencies, with online performance, which accounts for between 25 to 30% of total sales in its more established markets, quite strong. It predicts e-commerce sales to grow by some 25% per year going forward.

“Our growing online sales did not fully compensate for reduced footfall to stores in several of our established markets, which has resulted in our total sales development not reaching our targets so far this year” says CEO Karl-Johan Persson, in its release. He says the company is continuing to improve and expand its online store with more and faster delivery options, and that it hopes to eventually operate an online store in every market where it has physical locations. And it is testing new store concepts, and expanding its ARKET store, now open in 18 European markets.