H&M Divided & more at Ross Park

I paid a visit to the the Ross Park Mall in lovely Pittsburgh, PA over the weekend. The highlights:


H&M Divided
I've been to several H&M stores in the US and Europe, but this was the first time I'd seen H&M's Divided concept. The brand isn't new, but this was my first exposure to it. In their words:

H&M's Divided department offers fashion with a young look. It is about creative design and references from the very latest trends from street and club wear in a style that appeals to both teenagers and adults. The range consists of denim and street wear fashion for all occasions – from everyday clothes to party wear.

Basically, Divided is a much cooler extension of H&M that's more along the lines of Forever 21, with a bit of a streetwear vibe. I thought the merchandise was absolutely awesome- it wouldn't have looked out of place in a 55DSL or G-Star store, but was literally one tenth of the price. Needless to say, I hope to see more Divided stores soon, and I think this is a great brand extension for H&M, who needed a dose of cool. Without it, they risk falling prey to the Old Navy curse (you only go there to buy low-margin basics).


On American Eagle and Aerie
Speaking of American Eagle, they have a pretty great denim business on their hands. Their jeans are far and away the most commonly worn brand everywhere I've seen in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and I can only guess that this holds true for a good portion of the rest of the country.

Aerie is another success from American Eagle. In case you're unfamiliar or not in the US, Aerie is American Eagle's underwear/dormwear concept, not unlike Pink. The interesting thing I've noticed is that I know quite a few girls who would never buy clothes at American Eagle that love Aerie, which isn't true for Pink. These are 25-30 year old hipster types that you would usually see at Forever 21 or Urban Outfitters, so it's quite remarkable to see that Aerie has brought them into the fold. It would be a real coup to use their relationship with Aerie to turn them into American Eagle shoppers, but that's a whole other can of worms.

Other stuff
This is a great mall from Simon that recently added quite a few new tenants, including Tiffany, Louis Vitton, and other upscale retailers. It also boasts a first-rate American Eagle, Martin + Osa, a nice Pac Sun, and an enormous Forever 21 with an excellent men's section that kept me occupied for over an hour. Definitely check this mall out if you're in the area!