Swimwear can be a challenging purchase. Which is why we are excited about H&M’s upcoming collaboration with the Dutch brand Love Stories. The in-house H&M design team worked with Marloes Hoedeman, Love Stories pioneering founder for the development of the collection.

The Dutch lingerie brand is renowned for creating playful pieces that are still comfortable and practical. Candy-coated colors, romantic prints and superior, sporty cuts: the collection contains all the elements that made its whimsical lingerie collaboration such a success, but this time translated to swimwear. Staying true to Marloes Hoedeman’s “mix’n’match” mentality, each item in the collection is designed to be interchangeable. 

“It’s a dream to be collaborating with H&M again, offering customers a Love Stories aesthetic at H&M prices. The Love Stories Swim Club X H&M collaboration stays true to our mix’n’match principle and is designed for fun summer holidays – whether you’re relaxing at the beach or surfing the waves”

Marloes Hoedeman, founder of Love Stories.

Inspired by Seventies-era Slim Aarons photographs of poolside scenes and Hoedeman’s holidays in Ibiza, the collection is an active proposal for the girl who wants to surf as well as sunbathe. A palette of dusky pinks, vintage greens and tangerine prevails. Retro bandeau, triangle bikinis and off-the-shoulder swimsuits take inspiration from soft lingerie shapes; meanwhile wetsuit and belted one-pieces take their cues from traditional surfing styles. Summer accessories such as towels, sarongs, bags and loose beach tunics come in complementary soft animal prints and sophisticated monograms. 

“This playful mix’n’match swim wear collection is the perfect choice for lounging by the pool or having fun at the beach, to casually slipping into a tunic and head straight to meet friends. It is breezy and elegant, with a dusty color palette and body flattering cuts. We hope that this cool and sporty collection will inspire our customers to explore their own personal summer style”

Maria Östblom, Head of Design Womenswear at H&M. 

What motivated you to launch Love Stories in 2013? 

I had always loved lingerie, but I struggled to find anything that I liked. Matching sets and big padded bras felt so old-fashioned – not me at all. So, I decided to design my own lingerie: nothing stereotypically sexy, no wired bras, and incorporating colors, moods and fabrics that are not common in traditional lingerie designs, such as velvet, jacquard and dusty pastels. I didn’t have a technical background but, as a stylist for interiors and fashion magazines, I had worked a lot with fabrics and prints. When I gave a friend a sample to try, she reported back: “This is like a holiday for your body!” I knew that that was how lingerie should make you feel: comfortable, relaxed and pretty. 

You have collaborated with H&M before; how does it feel to be collaborating a second time? 

Our first collaboration with H&M, on lingerie last year, was such a success and I’m really thrilled to be collaborating for a second time – this time on a line of swimwear. At Love Stories, we branched out into swimwear in 2016 because I noticed on Instagram that lots of girls were swimming in our lingerie. We weren’t using the right fabrics for saltwater or chlorine, so I knew I had to make some proper swimwear inspired by our lingerie styles. The H&M Swim Club collaboration is true to that principle – it was important to keep the same shapes that we use in our lingerie, as well as the same fun, mismatched spirit. 

What was the inspiration for this H&M Swim Club collection?

I had just got back from Ibiza when H&M got in touch. I had been driving around the island in a pink Love Stories truck and at one point during the trip I had stayed in a wonderful boutique hotel called Los Enamorados, which translates as “The Lovers”. The colors were amazing, a moody palette of pinks and oranges, and I loved the hotel – you can dive and swim in the bay. That trip really inspired the mood of the Swim Club collection. Also, on the mood board were pictures of Slim Aarons poolside scenes and Seventies-era surfers – I wanted this collection to feel really active.

What is your favorite piece from the collection?

My favorite piece is the wetsuit – it’s for the surfer girls! I wear a lot of wetsuits for surfing and body boarding and I can never find wetsuits that come in cool color combinations and aren’t super thick, designed this style in a cute mix of pastel pink and burnt orange and I know I’ll wear it all summer for surfing, and with jeans on the weekend.

How do you hope this H&M Swim Club collection will be received?

Our Swim Club community is made up of women who want to be active and have fun surfing and swimming, they want to play volleyball and dance on the beach, and they want to wear their pieces with their normal daytime clothes. I hope they like the mix’n’match approach we’ve taken with the bikinis; the beautiful, feminine color combinations and the specially designed prints; as well as the comfortable fit. This collection is all about creativity and making your own personal style. “The perfect mismatch” is our mantra and it’s great to be able to bring our philosophy to a wider audience together with H&M.

The Love Stories X H&M swimwear collaboration will be available in selected stores and online from June 13th. For more information, visit kw.hm.com. Featured image courtesy of H&M.