FAB Friday fashion news.

If you live and breathe all things style, you'll be delighted to know that high-street favourite H&M is launching a new brand. Arket, which follows in the footsteps of H&M's sister brands COS, Monki, & Other Stories, will launch online this autumn at the same time as the first flagship store opens on London's Regent Street. After that, it will trade in eighteen European countries with stores to open in Brussels, Copenhagen and Munich...(we're crossing our fingers for a Dublin option). It seems Arket will be more timeless than trend-driven and will cater for menswear, womenswear, childrenswear and interiors. Ulrika Bernhardtz, Arket's creative director, explained the brand's aesthetic in conversation with Business of Fashion:

"The brand DNA is timeless, crisp, quality and warmth. Timeless is style beyond trend. And crisp is the counterpart to that: to be always relevant, modern and fresh. Quality is not only the feel of garments; it's also how they are produced".

This new brand will take on more of a lifestyle direction and there will be cafés in the stores that have enough space based featuring 'new Nordic' food options. Bernhardtz elaborated:

"We are adding on a café that will make the modern-day market a destination where you can both shop and enjoy healthy food".

In relation to affordability, Arket will offer a broad range of options but at a slightly "higher price segment than H&M with emphasis on materials, function and fit".