If there’s any fashion retail brand that’s capable of putting instant smiles on the faces of its customers, its H&M. H&M’s excellence in leading the fast fashion movement has completely won the hearts of its customers.

The brand’s short, catchy, and easy-to-pronounce brand name hasn’t only attracted but transformed lots of first-time customers into long-term loyal customers. You wouldn’t be wrong to say H&M’s brand name is the rocket that shot the company to the skies.

But despite the brand’s countless successes, lots of customers don’t even know what H&M means, even though they’ve spent a lot of time shopping in these stores. Well, if you were like us, and don’t know what H&M means, then you’re in luck because we’d be taking a quick look at H&M; the brand and what it means.

But before we explore this mystery, let’s begin with the brand’s history.

It All Began With Hennes, The Mother of H&M

The story of H&M began back in 1947 when Erling Persson opened the first store in Vasteras, Sweden. And because it was a store particularly focused on women’s clothing, he chose a name that reflected his target audience, “Hennes,” which translates to “Hers” in English.

If Erling had stopped with Hennes, we’d only be stuck with an H—which is clearly insufficient for a brand name. Thankfully, in 1968, twenty-one years after starting Hennes, Erling acquired Mauritz Widforss, a Stockholm-based retailer focused on hunting and fishing apparels.

This acquisition didn’t just lead to the rebrand of Erling’s company to Hennes and Mauritz; it was a strategic move that opened the way for the inclusion of menswear in the products offered by the business.

Courtesy: maitlandmercury.com

Fun fact: H&M has an established tradition that whenever the brand opens a new store; its new employees, with the help of some music, celebrate by performing a choreographed dance routine for their customers, and the press.

From Hennes & Mauritz to H&M

Now that we’ve gotten a peek into a small portion of the rich history surrounding the company, and the root words responsible for the brand name H&M, it’s important to note that the shortening of Hennes and Mauritz to H&M started off in 1974 when the company entered the Stockholm stock exchange.

After taking on the new catchy brand name, the company went on a full rebrand of all its stores so it can better reflect the new phase it had entered.

H&M’s Established Track Record

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Here’s a little something extra for all curious fans of H&M.

We all know that since its creation in 1947, the company has risen above several obstacles and competitors to become one of the biggest fashion retailers in the world. And like we said earlier, H&M achieved this incredible feat because of their solid grasp on fast fashion, which involves paying attention to fashion trends, designing products to align with said trend, and then moving large volumes of the products onto the shelves in a short amount of time, and at low cost to the consumer.

This aggressive strategy makes it possible for H&M to introduce a new product in just two weeks, not only across H&M stores worldwide but also in other stores it owns like COS, Monki, Weekday, Arket, Afound, Cheap Monday, and H&M Home.

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In 2013, H&M, in an attempt to reduce waste, set up a garment collection initiative that allowed customers to drop off any piece of clothing at any H&M store around the world and get a 15% discount.

But all these would mean very little if the brand hadn’t mastered the art of collaborating with renowned fashion designers across the world. By collaborating with world-class designers like Versace, Roberto Cavalli, and Alexander Wang, H&M not only established itself but added a massive boost to the company’s reputation in the fashion industry.

So it doesn’t surprise us that H&M—with over 5000 stores in 74 countries around the world—has made its presence felt in every continent with the help of its solid brand name.

In 2019, something spectacular happened at a Sotheby’s auction. The world held its breath as Miles Nadal claimed the rare and renowned 1972 ‘Moon Shoes’ specially handcrafted by Bill Bowerman, Nike’s co-founder, for an outrageous $437,500. 

Since Nike’s Moon Shoes are the most expensive sneakers ever sold, it’s no longer an exaggeration to say that the company is the greatest shoe brand of all time.

The Moon Shoe

Courtesy: CNN

Today, Nike controls an estimated market share of 50%, has held the title of world’s most valuable apparel brand several times, and with the introduction of Nike’s self-lacing shoe, it seems the brand’s value will take another leap.

But the story—like we saw in Phil’s book, Shoe Dog—would have taken a different tone if Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman, Nike’s founders, had taken a different path during the naming of their company.

What path you ask? Well, it all began in…

The Early Days

A young Phil Knight, while studying in the University of Oregon, was a member of the sports team coached by Bill Bowerman. But Bill wasn’t just any ordinary coach, he had an intense fascination with optimizing his running shoes, and Phil was the first student to try Bill’s modded shoes.

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Fun fact: Otis Davis won the 1960 Summer Olympics 400 meter dash with the very first shoe Bill customized for Phil Knight.

After Oregon, Phil attended a Stanford MBA program, where he theorized that Japan would overtake Germany in the production of running shoes. And just like that, the idea of venturing into the shoe industry began taking shape in Phil’s mind.

In Search of Passion

At the end of his stay in Stanford, Phil travelled the world in search of opportunity, inspiration, and passion. He visited several countries including Hong Kong, Vietnam, India, Egypt, Jerusalem, Rome, and Greece.

Nike adjusting her sandal 

Courtesy: Khan Academy

During his stay in Greece, the budding entrepreneur visited the temple of Athena, where he saw a piece of art that left a permanent print on his memory, the statue of the goddess of victory, Nike, adjusting her shoes.

The Birth of Blue Ribbon Sports

In 1964, after his quest for inspiration and passion, Phil took his first major step into the shoe industry and attempted to strike a deal with the executives of Onitsuka to become the sole distributor of the Japanese shoe brand, Tiger, in the US. When asked—during the meeting—what company he was with, Phil quickly recalled the blue ribbons from track events and replied, “Blue Ribbon Sports of Portland, Oregon”.

Phil’s presentation didn’t just convince Onitsuka of the immense rewards Tiger stood to gain from entering the American market and undercutting Adidas—the leading brand—it was also the birthplace of the brand, Blue Ribbon Sports.

Phil and Bill began selling Tiger shoes from the trunks of their cars, and sure enough, sales grew and the union between Blue Ribbon Sports and Tiger blossomed into a match made in heaven.

A New Brand is born

But sadly, nothing lasts forever. The relationship between both companies became strained after Tiger discovered Blue Ribbon Sports had re-designed and sold their version of the Tiger Cortez under a new line.

Both companies formally split in 1971. And Phil, knowing his company needed to manufacture and distribute its own shoes, decided he needed a new brand name and logo that fits this growth.

Phil met a shoe factory in Guadalajara, and placed an order for 3,000 soccer shoes. He also enlisted the help of a young graphic artist, Carolyn Davidson, famously known for creating Nike’s iconic swoosh logo.

Courtesy: Unsplash

But even though Phil had gotten a logo, and had also prepared a magazine ad to coincide with the release of the first shoe samples that were already set to hit the market in Japan, he still lacked one thing, a brand name.

And to get the best name, Phil assembled his employees to brainstorm a strong name for the company. Days went by and the team generated tons of generic names and a few unique ones like Falcon, and Dimension Six, yet they couldn’t decide which name was best.

Thankfully Jeff Johnson, an employee managing the company’s East Coast factory in Exeter, New Hampshire, after reading an in-flight magazine about great brand names had gone to bed that night only to see the name of the Greek goddess of victory, Nike, in a dream. Johnson quickly called Bob Woodell that morning to inform him about the name.

Initially, Phil wasn’t excited about Nike, but he later conceded, stating that:

“A lot of things were rolling around in my head, consciously, unconsciously. First, Johnson had pointed out that seemingly all iconic brands — Clorox, Kleenex, Xerox — have short names. Two syllables or less. And they always have a strong sound in the name, a letter like “K” or “X,” that sticks in the mind. That all made sense. And that all described Nike.

Also, I liked that Nike was the goddess of victory. What’s more important, I thought, than victory?” – from Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

The first Nike shoe—an instant hit—entered the market on the 18th of June, 1971, and since then Nike’s sales and market share have continued to rise to the top. But Nike doesn’t just owe its success to its amazing products, clever marketing campaign, and celebrity endorsement, but to its cool logo, catchy tagline and most of all, its unique brand name.

Sam Walton: If we work together, we’ll lower the cost of living for everyone… we’ll give the world an opportunity to see what it’s like to save and have a better life.

Sam Walton was one revolutionary entrepreneur that didn’t just see the great chasm separating cold-hearted businesses from their overly cautious customers, but went ahead to provide so much insight and solutions to businesses that, 62 years later, his corporate culture and cost-reduction methods are still heavily implemented around the world.

Walmart has raised itself as a force in the retail business, offering its customers literally everything from delicious biscuits and household items to luxury cars. And this is something that allowed the Walmart brand to set trends that countless retail shops rush to follow.

Now, with the massive amount of success Walmart has achieved over the years, it can be difficult to believe that it all started with a single store in Bentonville, Arkansas. But that single store was the spark that lit the flames of Sam Walton’s business empire.

Walton’s First Step

Moving to Bentonville with his family afforded Sam Walton the perfect opportunity to purchase a store from a certain Luther E. Harrison, and start his own business, Walton 5&10.

The first and most important step Sam took while starting his business was identifying and solving a pressing need in his customers that other retailers of the time like Kmart could not satisfy.

And how did he achieve that?

For one, his retail business focused on sending mail ads particularly focused on his target audience, controlling the prices of his products, and building large distribution warehouses that greatly reduced his product distribution time.

But it didn’t end there because Sam made it a point to leverage his business’s rural surroundings—which were untouched by big retailers—to grow a supportive customer base in locations with reduced competition.

So, Why is Walmart Called Walmart?

Understand that the need for a new name for the Walton 5&10 became necessary as Sam’s business grew from a single dime-store to a sprawling network covering multiple locations.

Sam needed a name that’d be easy to say, sound nice, and also enhance the value of his business. To achieve this, he turned to Bob Bogle, the trusted store manager he’d lured from the state health department by offering to pay him 25% of the store’s net profit in addition to his salary.

And sure enough, Bogle came through. He put his creativity to work, and crafted Wal-Mart, a brilliant combination of ‘Mart’ from ‘Supermart’ and ‘Wal’ from ‘Walton’.  

In 1962, Sam announced that the name of the business chain would become Wal-Mart. And yes, it didn’t take long for Wal-Mart’s solid brand name and immense growth to spread the business, effectively transforming it into a national retail chain.

Wal-Mart was an instant success not only because it was easy to say, and remember, but because it offered customers a hint of the services offered by the brand. The name stuck.

How is Walmart Doing Today?

Walmart—right from its early days—had set itself apart from the competition not only because his business saved customers billions of dollars but because Sam Walton had a strong desire for gathering information. Until his death, Sam was well known for copying, improving, and implementing concepts from his competitors.

Today, Walmart’s consistent customer-focused innovation, digital growth, amazing retail presence, and efficient supply chain, has given the company a solid financial footing in the market.