Retailer Capitalizes on Fashion’s Short Shelf Life

Credit card? Check. Running shoes? Check. Helmet and elbow pads? Check. Check.

Shopping isn’t normally considered a contact sport, but when H&M;, the Swedish cheap-chic chain known for whipping up retail frenzies, opens its first Southern California store Thursday in Pasadena, protective gear might be in order.

When H&M; opened in New York, lines snaked around a city block. In Chicago, the crowd rushed the doors with the fierce energy of Oklahomans at a land rush. In San Francisco last year, the bargain-hungry lined up before sunrise.

“It was insane,” recalls Lauren Frank, a recent UC Berkeley graduate from West Los Angeles. “People were clawing each other for some items.”

H&M; -- and its aggressive competitors, including L.A.-based Forever 21, the Spanish chain Zara and Target -- are the vanguard of a retail revolution that is changing the way Americans think about and shop for clothes. While big department stores and elite designers struggle, stores like these, which quickly deliver runway trends at bargain-basement prices, are winning the hearts and wallets of both well-heeled clotheshorses and thrifty wannabes.

The signs are everywhere: Forever 21 now inhabits the former Saks Fifth Avenue in Pasadena. The respected designer of Barneys New York’s private label, Behnaz Sarafpour, is now creating another exclusive collection -- for Target. Fashion glossies such as Marie Claire feature a $2,500 Ralph Lauren black cape alongside a $59.99 version from H&M.; And H&M;, which began its U.S. invasion just six years ago, will have 108 stores in this country when the Old Pasadena outpost opens at noon Thursday.

“H&M; has been able to do what so few others have,” says Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst with the NPD Group, a market research firm. “They create allure at ridiculously low prices.”

H&M; and its ilk have been labeled “fast fashion” because they get fresh looks in their stores months before the designers who created them can ship so much as a belt. They are masters of the quick turnaround: When a new look surfaces -- on the street, the runway or the Internet -- they can have it on the racks in three weeks. Stores get deliveries of new merchandise daily, sometimes two or three times a day.

Thanks to novelty-addicted consumers, a group not known for patience once their passion has been ignited, retail sales of fast fashion increased 10% in the last two years, compared with growth of 3% to 4% in the overall apparel market.

Hennes & Mauritz, H&M; to you, has become Europe’s largest clothing seller with more than 1,200 stores in 23 countries and annual sales of $7.6 billion. After the 9,000-square-foot Pasadena location opens, a store more than twice as big will come to the Beverly Center on Oct. 26. In November, another will open at the Santa Anita Mall, followed by two more at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa next spring.

Nobody does hype better. H&M; fueled rumors of its arrival in L.A. for months. It ran a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign featuring Madonna and, in early August, splashed her image across the west face of Hollywood’s Roosevelt Hotel. The first 100 customers in Pasadena will receive gift cards worth $10 to $300. (In San Francisco, early birds got 20% discounts.) Maybe that explains some of the “frenzy.”

The fashion industry has a long history of copycats reproducing haute design on the cheap, and women have been known to fib to their closest friends about the origin of a good-looking find. But for the last decade, moderately priced chains Banana Republic, Bebe, Old Navy and Club Monaco have sold such attractive basics that the idea of putting a designer jacket over a $20 T-shirt became standard for everyone but the most hidebound logo fiends, even celebrities. When an actress cops to wearing H&M; in the pages of InStyle, a mere mortal can abandon label snobbery too.

As mixing high and low advanced from being acceptable to becoming an expression of personal style, wearing inexpensive clothes, even those without a pedigree, acquired cachet.

Of course, H&M; hasn’t completely thumbed its nose at the design establishment. It was the first to sign up high-profile designers to create small collections sold in select stores for short periods of time. In 2004, Karl Lagerfeld, who designs for Chanel and Fendi, created a line exclusively for H&M.; A year later, Stella McCartney designed a 30-piece H&M; collection, including $79.90 sweaters similar to some priced at $1,665 in her eponymous line, owned by the Gucci Group.

With names like Lagerfeld and McCartney attached, and scarcity engineered, the limited editions sold out within hours. Jaye Hersh, the owner of Intuition, a West Los Angeles boutique that sells $250 jeans to the style-obsessed, asked a friend to queue up on her behalf in New York when the Lagerfeld line went on sale.

“She bought one of every item for me,” Hersh says. “Some stuff didn’t work. But for the price, it was OK with me to get some of the bombs and not wear them because the pieces that were good were so amazing.”

At H&M;’s prices, disposable fashion isn’t an exaggeration. It’s possible to score a man’s shirt for $9.99 that could be mistaken for one with a Prada label. That’s roughly equal to the cost of a couple of large lattes.

Next up? Collections for men and women by the Dutch designers Viktor & Rolf, who have shown couture and ready-to-wear in Paris since the mid-’90s, will be in 250 H&M; stores Nov. 9. The avant-garde duo will offer tuxedos for men and women, cocktail dresses, sweatshirts and jeans.

Target realized early that marquee names can help sell goods to the masses, and has offered collections from Isaac Mizrahi, Mossimo, British designer Luella Bartley and others. This summer, a temporary Paul & Joe for Target boutique on the corner of Melrose Place and La Cienega Boulevard was splashily decorated and stocked with $34.99 silk skirts and $16.99 purses by the hip French sportswear maker. It even provided free valet parking.

“Target is the only one who really comes close with the formula of using designers to stimulate excitement,” says Janine Blain, West Coast director of the Doneger Group, consultants who track retail trends. “Target benefits mostly on their website. They’re interested in volume. For H&M;, it’s about creating excitement and public relations value, and it works like a dream for them. H&M; coming to L.A. challenges every other retailer to be faster and smarter.”

Cohen, of the NPD Group, agrees that H&M; has many L.A. stores quaking. “Target, Forever 21, the new Macy’s and every specialty store in Beverly Center,” he says. The fast fashion merchants “have trained the customer to shop often to be not only the first, but one of the few that will get a $59 Lagerfeld jacket.”

Zara shoppers know that if they see something they want, they’d better grab it. Prices, styling and often quality are generally higher than at H&M;, but for women used to paying $300 to $400 for a Marc by Marc Jacobs dress, a $129 Zara number, every bit as stylish and well made, still seems like a good deal.

Zara too is expanding. The chain that’s nipping at H&M;’s heels internationally opened in South Coast Plaza in 2004, and on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade in early 2005. A third branch came to Sherman Oaks last week, and stores at the Topanga and Century City malls will be added next month. Like H&M;, the larger Zara stores carry clothes for men, infants and children.

Adrienne Herro, a bicoastal stylist and handbag designer, shops at Zara and H&M.;

“Every time I wear something from H&M; I get compliments and people can’t believe I bought it there,” she says. Nevertheless, the H&M; experience isn’t for everyone: There are plenty of days when racks of generic sweaters and slacks sap all hope of a thrilling find.

“I have friends who don’t get the whole H&M; thing,” Herro says. “They walk in and it’s so crowded and so messy that they can’t do it. You kind of have to have a good eye.”

Although the fast fashion marketplace is already overcrowded, analysts say, more players are on the way. MNG by Mango, a Spanish chain with 791 stores in 78 countries, has a store in South Coast Plaza and has leased space on Third Street Promenade and in Century City.

And TopShop, the British godmother of them all, plans to launch a New York flagship as early as next spring. When that happens, the Angelenos who used to schedule H&M; pilgrimages will have a new East Coast destination. The perverse truism of romance also applies to fashion, at any price: Everybody wants what’s hard to get.

mimi.avins@latimes.com

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Capes at the ready

A spin through the fast-fashion chains proliferating in Southern California, with an eye on one of fall’s trendiest items, the cape.

H&M;

Locations: Pasadena store opens Thursday; Beverly Center on Oct. 26 and Arcadia’s Westfield Santa Anita mall in November.

What’s on the racks: In Pasadena, it’s women’s wear only. Other locations will also have items for men, children and babies.

Vibe: Frantic on opening day and when limited editions come in.

How much: Men’s shirts, $10; Madonna track suit, $55

You should know: First 100 customers at the Pasadena opening get a gift card worth $10 to $300. The limited-edition Viktor & Rolf collection arrives Nov. 9.

The cape: Simple, almost generic lines make this similar to designer versions, but the wool-and-polyester fabric isn’t luxurious to touch. It won’t fool anyone used to the real thing. $59.90

Zara

Locations: Costa Mesa, Santa Monica and Sherman Oaks. Century City and Topanga stores to open next month.

What’s on the racks: Items for women, men, children. Working women can find tailored clothes.

Vibe: Sleek European store design that’s easy to shop in, with clothes grouped by color. Styles “inspired by” designers such as Prada and Alexander McQueen.

How much: Women’s cotton sweaters, $19; dresses, $130.

You should know: Not everything’s wonderful, but there are some real finds -- say, a sophisticated short-sleeved sheath for $79.

The cape: A wool-and-nylon jacket with cape-like sleeves has nice details, such as covered buttons and topstitching. The fabric and workmanship are shockingly good for the price. $79.90

Forever 21

Locations: Most major malls, including the Beverly Center, the Grove and the Glendale Galleria.

What’s on the racks: Mostly items for preteens to twentysomethings. Larger stores also carry menswear.

Vibe: Some packed stores resemble a messy teen’s bedroom; others, such as one in Old Pasadena, are actually glamorous.

How much: Women’s pants, less than $25; men’s T-shirts, less than $20.

You should know: The emphasis is style, not quality. Many of the fabrics feel rough or insubstantial.

The cape: The cropped cape looks as if it’s from the junior department: The design isn’t as sophisticated as the others, but it’s a stylish piece for a young customer. $24.80.

Target

Locations: Stores throughout L.A. County, including in Eagle Rock, Alhambra, Hollywood, Culver City.

What’s on the racks: Designer lines -- Go International, Isaac Mizrahi and Mossimo -- for women, men and teens.

Vibe: The store’s temporary designer boutiques have all the charm the big box store doesn’t. Website is easy to navigate.

How much: Miniskirts, from $20; Paul & Joe leather jacket, $140.

You should know: Go International is the line with cachet, with limited editions from Paul & Joe, Luella Bartley and others. Next up: Behnaz Sarafpour.

The cape: A muted plaid cape, by Paul & Joe for Target, has wooden buttons, pretty silk lining and a hood. The plaid isn’t matched in the seams, but you can forgive it at this price. $59.99.

Graphics reporting by Mimi Avins; Photographs by Beatrice de Gea

Los Angeles Times