After years of being teased about H&M’s coming to the Philippines, the mothership has truly arrived (cue screams and piggy banks breaking).

 

The proof is in the pudding or, in this case, the racks and racks of clothes and accessories from the brand’s Fall collection.

 

Because H&M was brought here by the mother company (Hennes & Mauritz AB) as opposed to a franchise, showroom manager Nikki Verzo says that shoppers can expect all the stuff they see abroad available soon in Manila, designer collaborations included. H&M Philippines is still mum on when exactly the three-floor boutique will open at Megamall’s Fashion Hall, except that it will happen third quarter of this year (if you’re optimistic, the start of the third quarter is July, so H&M could be open by next month or August).

 

But since it will definitely be open by the third quarter, fans of designer Alexander Wang better start saving up and practicing how to sleep while standing up, as he will be the first designer collaboration to be available at H&M Philippines.

 

The Alexander Wang x H&M collection is expected to roll out in stores globally by Nov. 6. You won’t need to fly to Hong Kong or Singapore, but we’re sure you’ll still face a long line of fashion worshippers who want first dibs on the collection.

 

To see more of the collection, visit www.hm.com/ph. Prices are already listed in Philippine pesos.

 

What you need to know

 

1. H&M’s first Philippine boutique will open at the Mega Fashion Hall wing in SM Megamall.

 

2. It is slated to open in the third quarter of this year, between July and September (hey, July is 10 days away).

 

3. The store will be more than 3,000 square meters with three floors.

 

4. The flagship boutique is a “full concept store,” so apparel and accessories—both seasonal and basics—will be available for women, men, teens and kids.

 

5. The first collection to be launched coinciding with the boutique’s opening is Autumn 2014. The theme for men’s wear for A/W 2014 is “modern mod mixed with Parisian cool, London attitude and New York sleekness,” while pieces for women were inspired by the bohemian spirit.

 

6. H&M is best known for combining fashion and affordability. Expect price points to be the same. A slinky black crepe slip dress we saw during the A/W preview goes for P899, while there are jersey dresses that retail for P599.