Marni next to design for H&M

Following in the footsteps of the runaway success of its collaboration with Versace earlier this month, Swedish retail giant H&M has announced its next big-name link-up.

Fans of the Milan-based label Marni will be marking 8 March 2012 in their diaries to be first in the queue when the boho-luxe designs drop into 260 stores worldwide.

Like its collaborative predecessor Versace, Marni is famed for its use of print - though where the former trades in baroque glamour, Marni offers playful, craft-based designs. Where the Italian labels do greatly depart is their signature silhouette - Marni is known for its crisply cut, demure and oversized pieces while Versace specialises in body-conscious, va-va-voom glamour.

The collection for H&M will revisit the favourite pieces of Marni's founder and creative director, Consuelo Castiglioni.

"As always, I love juxtaposing prints and colours, mixing modern tribal with Bauhaus graphic, adding sporty utilitarian elements," Castiglioni said.

The signature silhouette of Marni - founded in 1994 by Swiss-born Castiglioni - provides a relaxed working wardrobe for its customers, thanks to full-pleated skirts and dresses, cropped trousers and jacquard knits.

There is a bold use of print and colour - referencing African inspiration and geometric designs - on a range of fabrics from silk to crisp cotton poplin. The collection will include jewellery, shoes, bags and scarves.

Men, too, will have the chance to buy into the brand at a fraction of the price. The menswear offering will be a more relaxed take on the staples. The use of print for men will be subtle - a lining of a suit or a contrast detail on a shirt - while the silhouette will remain a modern and relaxed take on the classics inherent within the brand's DNA.

"Marni has such a modern touch with everything they do, mixing prints and accessories in a playful but chic way," said Margareta van den Bosch, creative adviser for H&M.

"It's fantastic to see how Castiglioni co-ordinates her designs, matching new combinations of print and colour, with such incredible craftsmanship behind every piece".