H&M to open in downtown State College’s Fraser Centre

State College will get a little more stylish when a Swedish retailer makes its central Pennsylvania debut.

H&M will add to the region’s wardrobe possibilities when it opens in the Fraser Centre.

The retailer, which sells clothes for the whole family, will be placed in a 19,000-square-foot space and will open in the fall. An exact date is not set.

The storefront will be the 21st that H&M has opened in Pennsylvania. The nearest one to State College is a two-hour drive to Lancaster, and most of its in-state stores are near Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

H&M’s first U.S. store was on New York’s Fifth Avenue 15 years ago. The company has opened 417 more since the turn of the century.

“H&M always looks to find the best location in an area where there is a strong customer base,” an H&M spokesperson said. “Pennsylvania is an important market to the brand, and H&M is excited to give customers there even more access to amazing fashion.”

The company, ranked 21st on Interbrand’s list of 100 Best Global Brands, declined to comment on how long State College was considered as a potential store site. It also wouldn’t estimate how many people would work at the store, but touted in a release that it has 16,000 United States employees.

“We’re thrilled to have H&M at the Fraser Centre,” Real Estate Capital Management developer Gary Brandeis said. “We’re excited for the Penn State and State College community to have them here.”

Fashion aside, H&M is also known for its sustainable initiatives.

The company launched Garment Collecting, an in-store clothing recycling project, in 2013. The program has enabled 53.6 millions pounds of garments to be collected.

H&M was also selected in 2015 as a U.S. EPA Green Power Leadership Award winner.

This story was originally published January 11, 2016 at 8:54 PM with the headline "H&M to open in downtown State College’s Fraser Centre."