“I loved the fika”: Rokh creative director Rok Hwang on his buzzy H&M collaboration and first trip to Stockholm

Rok Hwang, founder and designer of cult label Rokh, boasts a singular design language that finds its origin in several places. He was born in South Korea, raised in Texas, studied at Central Saint Martins in London and came up under Phoebe Philo at Céline in Paris, where his own brand now shows. Despite this universal pedigree, when he received the invitation to collaborate with H&M, he had never been to Stockholm. “My first visit was in January – it felt like a winter wonderland. People were ice skating in the city centre and there was the water and it was so fresh – it was really beautiful,” he says. “And the food was great. I loved the fika.”

Fast forward a year and a half and we’re sitting in a townhouse in London’s Soho where Hwang is presenting the Rokh and H&M collaboration to a selection of press for the very first time. At first glance, Rokh feels like an unusual choice for the Swedish fashion giant – a niche design talent being introduced to a wider audience. It’s a stark contrast from the more established names – Mugler, Versace, Balmain – of collabs past. But that’s precisely what appealed to H&M creative advisor Ann-Sofie Johansson, who has “kept her eye on Rok ever since Central Saint Martins”. “He has such a unique, creative and clear point of view,” she says. “It’s a really great thing to be able to show an upcoming, gifted designer to a wider audience.”

Fans of Rokh, however, will instantly recognise the brand’s design codes woven throughout the collection. “I wanted to bring the most iconic details of Rokh,” says Hwang. There are the double belts, adorning coats and blazers, the clever asymmetry, the carefully considered cutouts and, perhaps most notably, the buttons that run up the backs of shirts, jackets and trench coats. These are timeless pieces with a punky attitude, meant to be adapted to one’s wardrobe and worn season after season.

Johansson, who wears a relaxed pair of two-tone denim from the collection, points to the “timelessness and durability” of the pieces as falling neatly in line with H&M’s commitment to sustainability. “These are pieces that can be used over and over again,” she says. In fact, Hwang describes his brand using three words: timeless, raw and sensual. “These are the qualities I really wanted to show the world,” he says.

Given Hwang’s attention to detail – perfectionism, one might call it – he returned to Stockholm several times throughout the design process, draping the pieces by hand, giving H&M’s design team a lesson or two about his meticulous approach to pattern-making. Johansson reveals that “choosing the beige tones” in the collection was a particularly long process. On his visits, Hwang noticed some similarities to his native Seoul, namely the cleanliness of the aesthetic and the “organised” approach to design. “It felt exotic but familiar at the same time,” he says. Johansson, who has spent some time in Seoul, points out one more similarity between Swedes and South Koreans: “They also love their cakes and coffee,” she says. “That’s how we connect.”

The collection will launch in selected stores and online at hm.com on 18 April.