On 28 September, beneath the burgundy drapes of the Palais Brongniart, H&M and Elie Saab toasted the coming arrival of their collaboration. In the midst of the party, a silhouette no one expected moved through the crowd: a wedding dress, added to the collection and unveiled to the beat of a 1990s hit.
A burgundy cocoon in the heart of Paris
On 28 September, H&M and Elie Saab raised a toast to the arrival of their much-awaited collaboration, a collection bringing together ready-to-wear, evening wear and accessories. The venue chosen is a historic monument in the heart of Paris, the Palais Brongniart. The teams draped it in deep burgundy fabric, to make of it, according to the press release, a cocoon of glamour, elegance and beauty.
Access followed a precise staging: guests arrived along a long red carpet, designed to evoke Elie Saab’s legacy on the world’s most famous red carpets. For the House, red is never mere decor. It recalls the ground on which its name became known, and moving it into an evening devoted to a collection for the general public has something of a gesture of transmission.
Elie Saab himself justified the choice of Paris in a few sentences: «Paris has always been very close to my heart, so it was natural to celebrate this collection here, especially as so many fashion people are in the city.» The House’s chairman and creative director sees in it a collaboration that matters greatly to him, and one he is happy to share with his friends and with those who follow his journey.
Two worlds, one guest list
The list of those present says something about the project. Amelia Gray, Gabbriette, Iris Law, Anok Yai, Imaan Hammam, Lila Moss, Marisa Abela and Calum Harper were celebrating the collection. The press release also mentions personalities it describes as dressed on a global scale, Salma Abu Deif, Razane Jammal and Yasmina El Abd, as well as regional guests: Stephanie Atala, Jessica Kahawaty, Lama Alakeel, Mayan El Sayed and Mused Alsaqer.
This distinction between the global and the regional is probably no accident. The collection is to be launched online and in three specific markets, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Riyadh. One may read in it a Parisian evening designed as much for the eyes of international fashion as for those of an audience who, in a few weeks, will be able to buy the pieces.
As for music, the party made room for Robin S, who performed several of her hits, including her emblematic 1990s track, «Show Me Love». Kim Turnbull, Inès Rau and Ella Knight played DJ sets, extending the celebratory atmosphere.
The dress no one expected
The highlight of the evening came down to a single appearance. Guests had a first glimpse of an unexpected addition to the ELIE SAAB H&M collection: a wedding dress and its veil, taking their place alongside a range of embroidered dresses, sharp tailoring and lace separates.
The reveal took place while Robin S was singing. A model emerged in the midst of the crowd in a mermaid-shaped dress, cut with a spectacular train at the back and a twisted off-the-shoulder top, accompanied by a hand-embroidered veil. The staging is effective: instead of a runway, the bride walked among the guests, at eye level, and the music did the rest.
Ann-Sofie Johansson, creative advisor and head of womenswear design at H&M, summed up the spirit of the evening: she sees in it the spirit of joy and glamour that defines ELIE SAAB and this collection, with Robin S as the perfect soundtrack to reveal this bridal look.
What the bride says about the collaboration
The appearance of a wedding dress in a collaboration with a retailer whose idea, as the press release describes it, is to offer fashion and quality at the best price in a sustainable way, is no detail. It brings to the whole the bridal heritage of the House of Elie Saab, a territory where its signature is long-established and recognised. The press release puts it this way: this addition brings to the collaboration the House’s long-standing history in the field.
Amelia Gray, one of the guests, expressed her enthusiasm for every H&M collaboration and stressed the beauty and attention to detail of this collection, which, in her view, captures that energy and expertise.
One date remains, 22 October 2026, when the collection, wedding dress and veil included, will launch online. Until then, a question hangs in the burgundy velvet of the Palais Brongniart: how long does a dress presented in the middle of a crowd remain a secret, and to whom will it belong once it has left the dance floor?
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