The Lemlem x H&M Collaboration Has All Your Vacation Dressing Needs Covered

Shop the playfully-striped collection before it sells out.

Summer dressing, when done right, should embody the carefree, toes-in-the-sand spirit of a sunny Saturday — think liberating silhouettes and vibrant colors. Lemlem, the resortwear line launched by Ethiopian-born model and advocate Liya Kebede, has teamed up with H&M to give us just that.

Lemlem excels in creating playfully-striped warm-weather wares that are primed for vacation. Packed with fashion-minded details like hand-embroideries and unique color combinations that Kebede dreams up with her team of artisans in Kenya and Ethiopia, the brand’s elegant caftans, sundresses and cover-ups are made to elevate a day spent on the beach or in the city. Kebede has brought this same relaxed and eco-conscious design approach to her collaboration with H&M, which launches today, as well as her mission to encourage economic growth in Africa through the positive promotion of artisanship. As a part of the collaboration, H&M has donated $100,000 to support the Lemlem Foundation, which aims to create a pathway out of poverty for women artisans in Africa.

“With Lemlem, you can’t help but notice its ease and elegance, which Liya Kebede obviously and beautifully embodies, too,” says Maria Östblom, Head of Design at H&M, in a press statement. “It was wonderful to have Liya’s creative input at every step in this collaboration. We were also really happy to include more sustainable materials throughout the collection.”

Liya Kebede and her daughter for Lemlem x H&M.

The collection is stacked with breezy summer essentials, including a range of caftans, swimwear, jewelry and beach bags that are available in select stores and online. The label’s beautifully handwoven products, which typically boast price tags of over $400, have hit the shelves of the Swedish giant in more wallet-friendly iterations — every item is priced under $50 — and are offered in sizes XS-XXL. Made from organic linen, recycled polyester and Tencel™ Lyocell, each piece has a light, airy feel.

Lemlem’s signature stripes and dip-dyed color-blocking dictate the details of the H&M capsule, as do bright island hues, like a crisp, light blue and a soft neon yellow. There’s a relaxed-fit, knee-length striped shirt done in a striking orange that would be high on anyone’s getaway packing list — in fact, the entire collection has all your vacation dressing needs covered, from printed one-pieces that can function as tops to striped crop top-and-skirt sets that can be mixed and matched. The accessories are equally as good: highlights include a two-pack of necklaces — one in a shorter style with beads made from recycled plastic and one longer in antiqued metal — and a fringed beach towel that can be rolled up with rope and carried like a shoulder bag.

Kebede didn’t just work with H&M on designing separate looks; instead, she created a whole a chilled-out, summer-chic mood, which is embodied in the accompanying campaign.

“I love that H&M has always been at the forefront of doing really cool collaborations. So for Lemlem, it’s really exciting to be part of that group of brands that they’ve collaborated with,” Kebede says. “It’s also the first time we have a whole Lemlem look, with the jewelry really adding to the feeling and the woman that I want it to look like. My creative direction included the campaign, too, which was so much fun and special because I got to shoot with my daughter.”

Shop the entire Lemlem x H&M collection below.