“I prefer to have pieces that I can adapt”: Ahead of the Rokh and H&M collection release, Julia Dang styles her favourite pieces

Julia Dang’s style is enviably distinct, not just because of the clothes she wears, but the ways in which she wears them. Bows and belts, layers and unexpected pairings make for an aesthetic that is darkly romantic and just a little DIY. It’s an approach that’s garnered the Swedish content creator a loyal following. “I’m very intentional with my purchases,” says Dang. “So I prefer to have pieces that I can adapt.” For this reason, the hugely anticipated Rokh and H&M collaboration (which lands in stores and online on April 18th) and Dang are the ideal match.

Before Rokh’s collaboration with H&M was announced, Dang admits she had only “seen the brand in passing”. It’s a common response; though Rokh, helmed by Seoul-born, Texas-raised and Paris-based designer Rok Hwang, has an ‘if you know, you know’ cult-like following, the coveted collab with H&M offers the young brand a bigger platform than ever before. For Dang, it was love at first sight. “The pieces are amazing,” she says. It was precisely the enthusiasm H&M had hoped for when the brand invited Dang to style three looks from the collection.

What struck Dang about the Rokh and H&M collection – in addition to its exceptional quality – was its versatility. Take, for instance, the ankle-sweeping black frock – the pleated skirt can be unhooked to transform the piece the into the perfect LBD (“You could even wear the pleated bottom as a skirt,” Dang notes). Elsewhere, a three-piece tartan set with very on-point teeny tiny shorts can be worn with or without the cardigan (in the lookbook, the shorts are worn under a pair of low-slung jeans). Then there’s the show-stopping trench, which features adaptable button closures and multiple belts. Dang pairs all three looks with freshly-cut bangs and her signature makeup look: subtly graphic eyes and extra blush-y cheeks.

For Dang, the opportunity to engage with and discover a new designer by way of an H&M collaboration is a pleasure. “It’s great to give a platform to these smaller designers – isn’t that all we want for independent designers?” Says Dang. It is a milestone moment for Rokh, which has been entirely self-funded by Hwang since the start. As for which piece Dang hopes to take home herself? “The dress would be a top contender;” she says. “While we were shooting I realised you could actually detach the bottom. At first I just thought, ‘This is such a cute dress’, but when I noticed it had another function, it made me fall in love with it even more.”