H&M: Meaning of the brand name explained
The meaning of H&M is more exciting than you think. Because behind H&M there is much more than just the names Hennes and Mauritz. We explain who they were and what they have to do with the fashion chain.
H&M: What does the brand name mean?
Who are Hennes and Mauritz for whom the acronym H&M stands? Surprisingly, it is not the founder ...
- Erling Persson founded the H&M fashion chain in the 1940s. The Swede opened the first shop in his home country Sweden. At that time it was called "Hennes". Translated, "Hennes" means something like "for her" and also indicates that it was a women's clothing store.
- In 1968 Persson then bought the fashion label "Mauritz Widforss", which had specialized in men's fashion.
- Due to the merger of these two companies, the name was changed to "Hennes & Mauritz", H&M for short.
- Strictly speaking, the label name translated into German means "Für Sie & Mauritz".
- H&M did not come to Germany until 1980. Germany is now the most important market for H&M. A quarter of the fashion chain's total turnover is in the Federal Republic.
- H&M sells only self-designed fashion and has no products from major brands in its range. It works with production partners in Asia, but does not have any of its own production sites. H&M is repeatedly criticized for doing too little against child labor and poor working conditions.
- At the end of 2017 it became known that H&M had to close branches due to falling sales. In order to increase the popularity of the fashion chain, the company had worked with renowned designers and celebrities in recent years. These include Karl Lagerfeld, Roberto Cavalli, Madonna and Beyoncé.
New paths for the Swedish group: In 2017 H&M launched a new fashion chain and opened an "Arket store" in Munich. The store concept is completely new.