Wearable technology has been a growing trend for years. H&M wanted to enter this market segment and establish the brand as the first major fashion player in the wearable industry. In order to remain true to the brand's values, the focus had to be not on technology, but on people and how they express themselves through fashion. The task was to come up with a product idea that would make the fashion world talk about H&M as a brand for wearables and reach as many people as possible through earned media.

Most of the wearable products available today focus on generating and transmitting data. But what if they could transmit feelings instead? This question led H&M to developing “Wearable Love”, the first fashion item that’s not just an expression of style, but an expression of love. It consists of a jacket equipped with technology that lets you experience the sensation of a physical touch, sent to you by your loved ones, and the “Wearable Love app” which connects to the jacket and enables users to show affection from anywhere.

Science has proven that touching each other is essential for our mental and physical health. But unfortunately, that is not always possible. So whether it’s a long-distance relationship or any other reason why people can’t be close to their loved ones: The concept of a jacket that lets you hug each other in spite of physical distance has many potential users. The intended target group was 18-49, tech-savy, digitally well-connected people who are interested in innovation and fashion. We grabbed their attention with an emotional online film that introduced “Wearable Love”, along with the activation of selected media. And during a time when the whole world was experiencing first hand what it means to be forced to keep your distance, the idea was bound to gain even more momentum.

Flexible sensors and tactile elements incorporated into the fabric of the jacket evoke the sensation of a human touch. The product consists of the jacket itself, a detachable module providing power and connectivity, and the “Wearable Love” app. It connects to the jacket via bluetooth and enables users to send a virtual hug to a friend. The development from idea to the finished product took 11 months. “Wearable Love” was introduced with an emotional film on social media. H&M also used the extensive reach of their loyalty program to help spread the word. At the same time, a press release was issued in relevant markets across Europe, Asia, North and South America. While the technology received its own signature jacket at launch, it can easily be adapted to any kind of clothing.

With “Wearable Love”, H&M positioned itself as the first big player in the industry to tackle the future of connected clothing with an original and innovative idea. Hundreds of tech, fashion and news media around the world, including opinion leaders such as Vogue, Huffington Post, RTL and HLN covered the innovation by H&M, creating more than 300 million impressions in earned media with a budget of less than 15.000€. The idea created a positive response rate of 25.4% among H&M members. And it sent a message to the fashion world that the latest trend doesn’t just have to be clothes that people love, but ones that help people love each other.