This is what H&M really stands for

It makes SO much sense

(Image credit: Rex Features (Shutterstock))

It makes SO much sense

From how you correctly pronounce ASOS to why Ray Bans are called that, it seems we learn something new (and totally obvious, let’s be honest) every day in the fashion world.

Today’s lesson: what the letters H and M actually stand for. As in H&M, our favourite Swedish high street fashion store (that’s until Arket launches that is).

The more in-the-know of you will know that it’s short for Hennes and Mauritz. But do you know what they actually mean?

Let us explain: when the store was first launched in 1947, it was just called Hennes, which is the Swedish word for ‘hers’. Why? It only sold womenswear at the time.

Fast forward to 1961, and the store bought another brand, Mauritz Widforss, which sold hunting and fishing gear. Random, we know.

Thus it became Hennes and Mauritz, and branched out into kids and menswear.

But the store only took its abbreviated H&M name in 1974, and all the shops got rebranded.

Now you can feel super smug next time the subject comes up.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.