Dive Brief:

• Stockholm-based fast-fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) reported yesterday that in April it will open its first U.S. COS store in New York’s Soho shopping district. The company plans 40 new COS stores this year.

• COS, which stands for Collection of Style, sells more classic, higher-quality apparel than fast-fashion H&M stores, and the 75 COS stores have only been open in Asia and Europe.

• H&M CEO Karl-Johan Persson this year noted that COS had billions of Swedish kronor in sales but declined specifics. Overall, H&M reported more than $18 billion in worldwide sales in 2012 worldwide.

Dive Insight:

The expansion of COS stores by H&M is a sign that fast-fashion may have its limits. Several apparel retailers have jumped onto the fast-fashion bandwagon, which may be crowding the market. Observers say the merchandise at COS is not just of better quality, but also provides more classic, perhaps longer-lasting style. It’s possible that, with an improving economy, “slower” fashion could be a new trend.