Photo: Chris Carter
At 100, fashion iconIris Apfelis still a force to be reckoned with.
“I never expected to be a celebrity,” the self-proclaimed “Energizer Bunny” revealed to PEOPLE ahead of her milestone birthday in August. “I’ve never had a business plan, but opportunities came, and I took them.”
The interior designer’s latest endeavor, a partnership with fashion retailerH&M, is another chapter in that book.
The Iris Apfel x H&M collectionis a celebration of Apfel’s “unwavering independence and original sense of style,” the company stated in a press release. The 20-piece collection includes a mixture of textures, patterns and silhouettes with pieces ranging from $30 to $400.
courtesy H&M
She added, “I love designing for H&M because they let me go and do what I wanted. They didn’t put restrictions. I think the line is playful and festive and so much fun.”
The pieces are designed for everyone in mind, which is reflective of Apfel’s belief, as stated in teh press release, that “inspiration can come from anywhere and anyone”.
Chris Carter
“I think H&M is fabulous and is an absolute pioneer in its field — which I love!” theAccidental Iconauthor said.
“H&M was drawn to work with Iris because of her famously eclectic taste and her influence within the fashion community,” stated H&M Womenswear Creative Advisor Ann-Sofie Johansson in a press release. “She shows what fashion is all about … she’s a true inspiration!”
Apfel has long pioneered the idea that style has no age.
At 84 years old, she gained overnight popularity after the Metropolitan Museum of Art displayed her closet archives in 2005. Since then, she’s proven her fashionable sensibility, wit and drive with campaigns across beauty, fashion and interiors, as well as a a self-titled documentary, an Iris Apfel-inspired Barbie and a deal with IMG models that she signed at 97.
Ahead of her 100th, Apfel told PEOPLE how the pandemic affected her work mentality. “[It] has made me kind of a hermit,” she revealed. “I’m a very social person, but I saw no one during the pandemic; it was just me and my thoughts. You have to have projects.”
“Style is in your DNA. You can learn to be fashionable and to have good taste, but style is something within. It’s a matter of attitude,” Apfel previously told PEOPLE. “Your originality is so important.”
The Iris Apfel X H&M collection will be availablehm.comand in select stores in the U.S. and Canada on April 14.
Linda Marx
source: people.com
