Desperate Jimmy Choo Shoppers In China Turned To The Street

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And now we begin the H&M collab aftermath for Choo; that period when everyone finally tries on and takes a good look at what they've bought and either wears it out immediately, returns it, or throws it on eBay as stories from the melee continue to stream in.

If you thought the initial rush was terrible here in NYC, then be happy you weren't sleeping on the sidewalk for it in China, where the H&M flagship on Huaihai Road in Shanghai saw immediate re-sellers set up on the street.

Luckily, Shanghaiist was there to investigate...

The story straight from a Shanghaiist operative surfs the waves of emotion:

Thanks to the 160 person cut-off, our plan to browse the goods turned into a major fail. We got nowhere near seeing, touching and feeling the good stuff.

Even with these rules, intense interest and high shopper turnout led to frenzy and chaos. Two types of shoppers were present: those genuinely wanting to add Jimmy Choo to their closets, and organized groups trying to make a profit. Quite a number of the 160 customers with priority-access bracelets were resellers in cahoots, evidenced by their seemingly pre-planned grabbing and hoarding techniques.

Leaving H&M, we noticed a new business set up just outside the entrance - the group of resellers had already begun to hawk their many bags of wares. A pair of gladiator sandals in the right size caught our eyes. How much? '1000 kuai,' said the young man with a smirk (perhaps he recognized us from the glares we gave him). That’s too much, we argued, considering that he’d just purchased it for RMB 599. He wouldn’t budge on price. 'I did the work. I waited, I stood in line.' We walked away.

Too bad they weren't with us two hours after the release, when we moseyed into the H&M near Penn Station and found racks and racks of dresses, everything from the men's line still available, and even a few bracelets which we tried on and deemed too cheaply made for the price. Now let the planning begin for the December release of the Sonia Rykiel collection...
· Jimmy Choo for H&M Launch in Shanghai [Shanghaiist]