One of the foremost things a female royal today can do for her country’s fashion industry is to wear what they produce in public. Where she will be photographed. It is a promotion of that country and that industry. (Fashion is less important in the role than the humanitarian aspects and other official duties, but it is still an industry.)
Some of them are very good at this. The house of Natan in Belgium have a massive promotional value in the Belgian royal ladies wearing their couture. (Although, it can be debated if always wearing it successfully.) Another is the Princess of Asturias who is a frequent wearer of Zara and Mango – both Spanish brands.
And some are very good, but it leaves a question mark with me on how wise it is, to do the excessive wear. One of those is Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. She wears plenty of H&M clothes. It’s not a bad idea, on the surface.
It is a Swedish brand. It is not a high cost brand by any means. A good profile for the Swedish heir to the throne to wear.
Her friendship with the heir to the H&M empire, and its CEO, and her own shares in the company, although less now than a year ago, makes it a tad questionable for me.
And when she showed up on the official visit to London yesterday, with a jacket from H&M’s new designer collaboration line that isn’t out officially until November 14, I feel that it has seriously topped the line of promotion of a brand. Huffington Post has the picture of Victoria in a jacket from the Isabel Marant for H&M collaboration.
Promotion of Swedish fashion abroad is very well, but here H&M receives a boost to a line of clothing that isn’t out yet. If this had been the only issue here, I wouldn’t have had a problem.
My main point is that: I think the Swedish monarchy should be more neutral in terms of promotion of their friends, and companies where they personally have shares, when out and about on official visits for Sweden.
