H&M completes a decade in India this year. Since it debuted in the country in 2015, the brand has grown to 66 stores across 30 cities. It also has an online presence with its website and a partnership with Myntra.
Its expansion includes new launches like H&M Home, H&M Move and the upcoming H&M Beauty concept, which introduces over 200 made-in-India products across makeup and fragrance. In what is one of the brand’s biggest global beauty rollouts, H&M Beauty will be available from October 2 across all H&M stores in India and online.
In 2025, the brand opened two stores—in Gangtok and Faridabad. The year before it had opened eight outlets—in Bengaluru, Siliguri (its first in the Northeast), Pune, Kochi, Mumbai, Mohali, Dehradun and Surat.
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, this festive season, H&M has also put together a vibrant collection tailored for Indian customers, featuring sari-inspired silhouettes, embroidered motifs and festive-themed H&M Home pieces. The brand has collaborated with Indian designers like Sabyasachi and Anamika Khanna. And it plans to engage consumers with partnerships with platforms like Lollapalooza India. With 89 percent of its products made from recycled or responsibly sourced materials, H&M is striving towards a future of inclusive, innovative and conscious fashion in India.
In a conversation with Forbes India, H&M India director Helena Kuylenstierna, who has been with the company for 25 years, speaks about the brand’s journey in the country over the past decade, offerings for the Indian market, introduction of H&M Beauty, and more. Edited excerpts:
Q. What are the milestones for H&M in India in the past decade?When we came to India in October 2015, I don't think we knew what to expect. It's a country different from the others that we had expanded into, and we weren't sure how the brand would fit, given that there were not too many international fashion brands in the market then. We were overwhelmed with the response from day one.
We have had a lot of milestones. We opened the first H&M store in Delhi and then expanded to Mumbai. There has been continuous expansion of the physical stores. Another milestone was going digital. We started the H&M website in India in 2018, which is kind of the crown jewel in our digital business here, while also getting into a partnership with Myntra.
Some other milestones were venturing into other categories. Although fashion is our biggest passion—and that's the pillar of everything we do—we have also moved to accessories, shoes etc. We launched H&M Home in 2022. And now we are thrilled to bring H&M Beauty to India.
Q. How has the Indian market shaped H&M’s global strategy and performance over the years?We’re going into a new phase where we’re looking at the coming 10 years with big excitement. India is an important market for us… it is a fast-growing market. We have ambitious plans because of the multiple interesting growth factors we see here. One of them is the rise of Gen-Z H&M customers, especially women. They are transitioning from ethnic wear to western wear, and that's also somewhere where we want to be.
Our philosophy is liberating fashion for many. We strive for it every day when we wake up. And India is a perfect example of that. We want to be accessible and affordable. So, I think that's how India plays a role in the global strategy.
Q. How has H&M adapted its offerings to meet the evolving expectations of the Indian consumers?We know we're loved in India for the fact that we are an international fashion brand. We want the Indian consumer to always recognise themselves when they go into an H&M store. We also acknowledge that there are a lot of opportunities for us when it comes to designing specifically for India, given the climatic conditions and cultural relevance. Our focus is designing with a strong H&M aesthetic, making sure that we are tailor-making certain things more suited for India.
Cultural events like Diwali are of high importance to us. We have curated a beautiful Diwali collection for kids wear and menswear and, of course, for women, very much focussed with the fashion lens. We are also doing a unique H&M Home collection for the first time.
Q. The launch of H&M Beauty marks a new chapter. Can you shed light on bringing it to India?H&M Beauty has existed for almost 10 years in certain markets—very much in the Nordic markets in Europe—and we have also expanded it more and more across the globe. We felt this was the perfect gift for our 10-year anniversary to the Indian consumers. It's a full range of lipsticks, eye shadows, blushes, and also brushes and fragrance. A large part of it is made in India; it is vegan, so it's also a high-quality product offering at an affordable price.
Q. How do you plan to position H&M Beauty in a market saturated with both global and homegrown beauty brands?When we look at India from a global lens, we think it is one of the fastest growing beauty markets in the world. The way I see it, I still think there's a lot of room for growth potential here, especially with the brand being so loved. It comes with a certain quality and a strong connection to fashion. We know that all our consumers, all over India, love fashion, but they also wear makeup. So, it's a perfect combination. We like to call it ‘From Fashion to Face’. That's how we're doing the transition for the 10th anniversary. We fully respect the competition, but we are confident about the product that we want to offer them.
Q. Are there expansion plans for Tier II and III cities in India? How do you see these markets contributing to H&M’s growth?We don't think about the cities so much in terms of tiers, but rather the concentration of fashion aspirers. Fashion is the guiding star for us. We recently opened a store in the Northeast and the reception has been fantastic. Apart from the physical stores, we have our website, and we also sell through our partners like Myntra. We still see potential to grow within the cities that we are in. Having said that, we're continuously exploring new cities. When it comes to expansion and the store portfolio, we're looking into how to elevate the portfolio we already have in the cities we're in even more.
Q. What is your view on the evolving high-end retail and beauty segment in India?India is a fantastic market with a lot of growth potential. It's also such a young market, younger than most. We are focussed on driving a lot on how Gen-Z sees fashion and beauty, and what is important for them. What we have observed is that this cohort cares about many more aspects than just the product itself—like the brand and the sustainability aspect, which is something we are passionate about. We want to lead the change in the entire fashion industry and be the positive force for change.
There are also other things outside of fashion. For example, music. H&M was one of the main sponsors at Lollapalooza this year. I think such collaborations tie in a lot with what we think is important going forward in the market for Gen-Z consumers. This connection between fashion and music, which has been close to H&M, is what we call the ‘Sound of Style’. We think that the connection to cultural moments such as Lollapalooza is going to be important in how the young consumers steer which brands they go for in the future.
The product will always be the hero of everything we do. But then, it's also important to focus on the way we show up as a brand, our commitment to people, to sustainability, the connection to local relevance.
Another thing that we have specifically for the Indian market is the collaboration with a fantastic community of content creators. That scene is big here. Given that India is so young as a market with so many Gen-Z consumers, I think that the work we're doing together with a lot of the local creators is going to be important.
First Published: Sep 25, 2025, 12:33
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