Fashion insights also come from consumers
Louise Rossetti
Rogerio Vieira/Valor
Louise Rossetti is the marketing and communications director at Swedish fashion giant H&M, which entered Brazil in August 2025. Before taking the position, she built an international career in fashion marketing, spending seven years at Hermès in Paris and working at L’Oréal’s global headquarters. Rossetti lived in France for more than a decade and graduated from the French Fashion Institute. For her, leading a global brand in Brazil is, above all, an exercise in listening.
Below are the main excerpts from her interview with Valor:
Valor: What has H&M learned about the market during its first year in Brazil?
Louise Rossetti: One very concrete example is that we need more fitting rooms in our stores. Starting with our second or third store, we increased the number of fitting rooms.
Valor: Why?
Rossetti: Brazilian consumers like trying on clothes and taking their time in the store. They also like interacting with a sales associate who helps them. That behavior is somewhat different from what we see in other markets.
Valor: How does a global brand calibrate the pace of its expansion, launches, and investment in new collections to the particular characteristics of each country?
Rossetti: It is a fascinating dance because it involves precisely balancing the global positioning, the brand’s identity, local preferences, and what local consumers seek. Navigating all these different worlds—and maintaining the right balance among them—is a valuable exercise. We have to bring the company’s essence to the market, show what it stands for, and align that with what Brazilians want, considering how it can be adapted and how we can connect with them genuinely.
Valor: What is the main difference between Brazilians and Europeans in their relationship with fashion?
Rossetti: Consumers worldwide have many similarities today. We are all exposed to a vast amount of information, rapid change, and knowledge that circulates globally. So I see greater uniformity in that respect. But I think Brazilians form emotional connections with brands in a special way, perhaps differently from consumers in the European fashion market, where I worked for many years. I think we Brazilians build close relationships with brands. We create nicknames for them and our own ways of referring to them. That differs from how French consumers behave. The French perceive brands differently. I think it is a deeply cultural issue that reflects differences between countries. In Brazil, the emotional connection is always more passionate. I believe that is a major difference from European markets, for example.
Valor: Does it still make sense to think about getting Generation Z away from screens and into physical stores?
Rossetti: There used to be a perception that online customers bought only online and physical-store customers bought only in stores. That is no longer the case. Consumers are highly multichannel today, and those who buy through one channel also purchase through another. Consumer behavior is now very dynamic, just like the world we live in. I think Generation Z, more than any previous generation, is keenly aware of this and moves naturally between these worlds.
Valor: What role do influencers play in this process?
Rossetti: Their role is enormous today. Historically, marketing followed a communications model in which information flowed from the brand to the market. We now operate in a highly collaborative environment where everything is connected, and everyone contributes: you, me, content creators, influencers, the press, and the various channels. Everyone collaborates and contributes in a highly dynamic way. Influencers also play a key role because they become part of the conversation within this communications ecosystem. They have tremendous influence over consumers and brands, and vice versa. I think everyone is discussing this issue, and it is a global phenomenon.
Valor: What will fashion marketing look like over the next 18 months?
Rossetti: Dynamic—very dynamic—and collaborative. Creators, customers, media outlets, and brands will all participate in the conversation. That is exactly how I see the landscape, with everyone contributing.
Valor: In that environment, what does leadership in fashion marketing look like?
Rossetti: The challenge is considerable because fashion continues to play a very important social role, fostering inclusion and community as well as self-perception, empowerment, self-image, and self-confidence. Fashion has gained greater prominence precisely because of this collaborative approach, which gives people the freedom to explore and develop their self-expression. Information no longer comes only from brands, newspapers, or magazines. It also comes from consumers, who can now use social media to show how they want to dress.
Translation: Todd Harkin
