It’s often difficult to relate to a fashion campaign, but H&M’s most recent one — featuring Ice Spice, Paloma Elsesser, Lynn Yaeger, Jay Guapo, Jon Turturro, Kai Schreiber, Kareem Rahma, and other city dwellers sharing snippets of their New York and how it’s shaped them — hit home. Literally.
H&M’s new campaign centers on New York and some of the characters that make it tick. “You get inspired every day by the unique characters you see out and about,” Ice Spice says. “No doubt my style — and the way I express myself — has been shaped by the city.” For Rahma, he’s grown out of feeling like he didn’t want to “stand out,” and for Elsesser, she’s let go of any preconceptions about being a “certain size.”
“The cast of characters really showcases the diversity of New York and the democratic vision that has always defined H&M,” Jorgen Andersson, the brand’s chief creative officer, wrote in an email to The Cut. “I loved seeing how each of the cast members used fashion to showcase self-expression and individuality — something that really speaks to H&M’s core.”
Watch these fun New Yorkers below!