The FINANCIAL — On November 6 thousands of fashionistas welcomed the opening of the first H&M store in Istanbul, Turkey. From now on the crowd of Istanbul can find a varied and extensive range of clothes and accessories. H&M has arrived with fashion and quality at the best price in a full concept store of 2,300 square metres on two floors. A second store will open in Istinye Park in December.
The grand opening of the first store began with a ribbon cut by CEO Karl-Johan Persson, Country Manager in Turkey Leif Spang and Store Manager Ahu Saner. “It is a great feeling that we are finally opening here in Turkey. Your country is a dynamic and exciting market for us and we see great potential for expansion. H&M looks forward to bringing style conscious shoppers in Istanbul the inspiration to make their own personal fashion statement”, says Karl-Johan Persson, CEO of H&M.
“The celebration of H&M coming to Turkey started already Thursday night with a great shopping party in the store. Mutlu Dinçkök, Ivana – Yurdal Sert, Deniz – Haluk Berdan, Eda Taşpınar – Bora Kozanoğlu, Bennu Gerede and her kids, Deniz Akkaya, Derin – Beliz Sarıyer, Nazlı Goldenberg, Süleyman Orakçıoğlu – Ahu Tanrıkulu, Ayşe Kucuroğlu, Kıvanç Kasabalı – Sedef Avcı, Naz Elmas, Atiye, Buse Terim, Ceylan Çapa – Gökhan Serter, Nazlı Mengi, Sina and Özge Özpirinçci were among the names attending the party together with more than 2,000 H&M lovers from the society life, fashion, art and business world of Istanbul. In addition to this, DJ Nazlı Var and Salih Saka set the inspirational atmosphere of the party,” H&M informed.
This first store of the awaited H&M brand is placed in the most central point of Forum Istanbul, one of the biggest malls in Istanbul. It carries everything from highest fashion to basics for women, men, teen and kids.
It’s all about personal style at H&M this autumn, with knitwear, tailoring, soft volume and playful accessories allowing individual choices to shine through. It’s the sharp cut of a blazer or some salt-and-pepper wool trousers that set the powerful new tone in fashion, which is then softened either by an angora cardigan, a lace top or the frills down the front of a blouse. For men, it’s all about updating and reworking the classics to present a whole new mood. The definite silhouette of a wool or coated-cotton coat make traditional pieces feel like new, as do the key components of tailoring: the suit, the blazer, the waistcoat and trousers.
Following the first store opening in Forum Istanbul, H&M will continue its expansion in Turkey. The second H&M store will open in İstinye Park in December. During spring 2011 H&M will open stores both in Sapphire Shopping Center and Forum Marmara Shopping Center.