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EXCLUSIVE: '90s Skate Brand No Fear x H&M Celebrate Inclusivity in New Fall Line

info@hypebae.com (HYPEBAE)  Wed, 29 Sep 2021  HYPEBAE

H&M has unveiled its latest Fall 2021 collection in partnership with '90s skate and streetwear label No Fear, as well as a New York-based all-female skate crew from the HBO show Betty, called The Skate Kitchen.

“We’re thrilled to be collaborating with No Fear and partnering with The Skate Kitchen for this confident, empowering collection. The silhouettes balance oversized with tighter fits, all with a relaxed, unisex vibe, while the graphic logos and subtle varsity touches are key," said Emily Björkeheim, H&M’s head of design divided, in a press release. "We hope that young people around the world take the message of this collaboration to heart -- write your own rules and don’t let fear stand in the way of your dreams."

Having reached peak popularity in the '90s and early '00s, No Fear is relaunching today and is taking on a more inclusive approach. The range comes with 23 graphic silhouettes, including oversized T-shirts, crop tops, shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, knitwear, varsity jackets, tracksuits and joggers, all dressed in shades of beige, khaki brown, green or washed black. Accessories like the bags, beanies, sneakers, scarves and stickers round off the line.

Learn more about the collaboration below in our interview with Hamish Morjaria, head of brand partnerships and licensing at No Fear. The full collection will be available at H&M's stores worldwide and website on October 14.

Can you share with us how the collaboration came to be?

No Fear was the originator of fashion in skate culture in the ’90s. The brand has always been about providing a unique identity for the skateboarding community. We were looking to launch a global collection to promote inclusivity with an iconic skate team and when the chance came to work with The Skate Kitchen, we knew they were the ideal partner. The team at H&M was incredible to work with and their designers added an extra dimension to the range, which we are excited to bring to their customers.

What was the key inspiration behind this collection?

The inspiration for this capsule collection comes from the original No Fear '90s streetwear and the skate fashion of that era. The oversized silhouettes and accessories create an inclusive collection for a new generation of customers to style and wear with No Fear. With The Skate Kitchen and H&M, we created a collection for a progressive and inclusive generation of young women, empowering and inspiring them to explore their true potential. Additionally, we were keen to reflect No Fear’s iconic graphic identity aesthetics and create a current street fashion collection for today’s youth.

What was the creative process like, with both No Fear and The Skate Kitchen taking part in designing the range?

It’s been great to share this journey together with The Skate Kitchen, not only because of their cool style but also for their inspirational commitment to making sure young girls are a natural part of today’s skateboard culture. Their valuable engagement in developing and co-creating parts of the collection has ranged from their initial design ideas to their careful selection of fabrics silhouettes, as well as the creation of print pictures.

Being in different continents, we could only conduct digital meetings where we discussed everything, which was tricky. But working together with both No Fear and The Skate Kitchen was a seamless experience in every aspect. It’s easy when you work with people that possess a clear vision with great attention to detail and we can’t wait to show you the outcome of a collection that we think our customers will love.

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