Tyla, FKA twigs, Caroline Polachek… H&M’s Spring Line-up is Iconic
There's something cosmically aligned about an Aquarius with a breakthrough called ‘Water’ becoming fashion's most fluid style chameleon. Tyla's ability to shape-shift between ethereal goddess and streetwear savant has made her 2025's most watchable fashion icons—although that's not a term she'd use herself. "A whole style icon? Girl, I just got her," she laughs when we catch up with her about being the face of H&M's Spring 2025 campaign.
"I just love that people are able to tag me in “Tyla coded outfits” and see me in fashion because I’ve always loved it… It makes me want to switch it up and see what else I can make Tyla coded," she says.
The campaign places Tyla in enviably good company. FKA twigs, Caroline Polachek, and the Ibeyi sisters all share frame time in Sam Rock's photographs and Albert Moya's companion film—a lineup that reads less like a commercial cast and more like the dream guestlist for fashion month's most impossible-to-get-into afterparty.
What makes Tyla's inclusion particularly satisfying is how it punctuates her relationship with fashion's shifting landscape. While many were still figuring out their visual identities, she arrived fully formed, harnessing her South African heritage and futuristic sensibilities into looks that felt simultaneously nostalgic and impossibly forward. "I like wearing what makes me feel confident and fly. Whatever compliments my body and feels effortless is always a yes," she says about her style.
The tension between accessibility and aspiration, between cultural specificity and universal appeal mirrors exactly what H&M aims to capture in its seasonal offering. The collection is an exploration of bohemia, and the sense of freedom and escape that it evokes. “Our mood board was super eclectic: we had pictures of iconic festival looks—the amazing and infamous mixes of sparkling or sheer dresses with wellies and sunglasses—alongside shots of glam rock musicians, and New Romantic icons,” explains Eliana Masgalos, H&M’s Womenswear Design Lead.
The first collection channels these references more overtly in festival-ready pieces. The second drop takes a more muted approach, with minimal lines and sharp silhouettes dominating.The connection extends beyond aesthetics into H&M's increasingly ambitious cultural programming—including a music-centered event series that will continue in Los Angeles in April.
“For years, we’ve been partnering with musical icons and singers—it really feels like a part of who we are, as a brand,” shares Masgalos. “Music and fashion are deeply connected—both are spaces where we explore our identity, and pursue a sense of transformation or self-invention and I find that super exciting. Whenever we start a collection we think about that—the joy, energy, and empowerment that can come with getting dressed. I think musicians really understand that, which is why so many of them become style icons and trendsetters, and why we love working with them.”
For those tracking the intersection of music, fashion, and cultural currency in 2025, the pairing feels almost inevitable. In an industry where authenticity is everything, both Tyla and H&M are banking on something more valuable: the ability to translate personal expression into visual language that resonates across continents. And if the early campaign imagery is any indication, they're fluent in exactly the dialect we're all trying to learn.
Shop the new collection when it drops on March 20 at H&M.com.
