Photo: Courtesy of H&M Save Story Save this story Save Story Save this story Despite 40-plus years of dazzling red-carpet moments—and two decades since becoming the first Arab designer on the official Paris haute couture calendar —in real life Elie Saab is still more comfortable letting his runway do the talking for him. And while he’s often been approached about collaborations, it took until now to feel the time was right.
Come October 22, the Elie Saab H&M collaboration at last puts Mr. Saab’s particular brand of glamour— spotted of late on Zendaya, Olivia Dean, and Eva Longoria—within reach for the rest of us.
“We’ve always been true to ourselves,” the soft-spoken couturier with 20 million followers said during an exclusive preview at his showroom in Paris. “We’ve never been driven by trends. If you look across the archives, what you see is consistency and craftsmanship.” He continued: “We wanted to be sure we could do something where every piece was special—without compromise—because otherwise it wouldn’t be Elie Saab. No one wants ‘basic’ from Elie Saab.”
There’s nothing basic about this evening look from the Elie Saab H&M collaboration.
This bustier top and pants are among the 55 pieces in the collection.
The house is in full expansion mode, said Elie Saab Jr, vice chairman and CEO of the Elie Saab Group. “As a core business, the group has been growing on average 35% year on year. I believe the reason we can do that is that we’ve always stayed focused on our DNA. So, it was really about translating the essence of the brand for a new audience, and who better to do that with than H&M? They’ve done amazing things with the best houses in the world.”
Unsurprisingly, the Elie Saab H&M collection plays up after-dark glamour, and just in time for holiday party season, too. But it also includes daywear, coats, embellished knitwear, and accessories—dangly logo-ed earrings and vintage-y jacquard scarves, ladylike flat slingbacks and runway-true towering platforms—as well as a handful of men’s accessories and tailored evening jackets with crossover appeal to burn.
In all, some 55 items reprise house signatures like gradient sequins, lace embroidery, and faux fur in a restrained midnight palette of black, gold, and emerald green. Prices range from 29.99€ for a sassy flower choker with slender ties long enough to let it double as a belt to 79€ for an embellished hoodie and around 300€ for a gradient gold-to-black sequined blazer or a flowing gradient green-to-black bustier gown. The highest-ticket item is a funnel-neck jacket in rich chocolate sheep leather that dissolves into black toward the waist (399€), which can be paired with a matching pencil skirt.
Stella Hanan in the gradient gold-to-black sequined blazer
Julia Nobis models the flowing gradient green-to-black bustier gown.
“People think we’re really strategic about which designer collaboration happens when, but the truth is that sometimes it all starts with a feeling,” said Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M Creative Advisor and Head of Design Womenswear. “Mr. Saab has been making beautiful clothes for years now, but it felt like maybe he hasn’t been celebrated enough.” At a time when AI dominates the conversation, she added, what we all need is “just to experience something beautiful.”
“There’s a yearning for things that only hands can make. Elie Saab is a true creator—he just has that craft in his hands and you can see it.” Johansson recounted how, during one studio session, Saab pi…