H&M new spring and summer collection marries the luxury of high fashion with the need for sustainability. Through a colourful and innovative way, they transformed food waste into a natural fibre.
Ann-Sofia Johansson, H&M’s creative adviser, explained the origin of this idea in an interview for Harper’s Bazaar.
“The Conscious Exclusive design team considered the emotional durability and afterlife of the garments they were designing more carefully than ever before. The team has doubled down on fabric composition, alongside utilizing dyeing methods that come with less environmental impacts—we used a natural dye made from coffee grounds collected from H&M’s own production offices. We are committed to a truly holistic approach to sustainability, as well as to creating special pieces that will last a lifetime.”
The collection features soft shapes, bright colours, strong volume and many, many ruffles.
Inspired by Golden Age train travel, these clothes shine with drama, nostalgia, and joie de vivre, transporting you to a hot summer day in the roaring 20s.
This collection is a step forward for the Swedish brand, which has found itself in the middle of backlashes in the past, for being considered fast fashion.
Fast fashion is used to describe the quick process that goes into making clothes from the runaway straight to the shops’ shelves, in a short amount of time.
In order to reduce costs and improve profits, this type of process favours cheap, toxic materials and a sped-up production over quality and fair labour.
H&M’s new CEO, Helena Helmersson, is determined to change this system and improve the brand’s impact on the environment. Starting with a target set for H&M of using only recycled fabrics by 2030, and to become climate positive by 2040.
In an interview for Vogue, she talked about her goals and hope for the future of the company.
“What I’m most passionate about is the reach that we have, and how we can make sustainable fashion accessible for all. That and leading the industry to a sustainable future.”
There is much work yet to be done to make the company sustainable. Besides from some collections, most of H&M’s material is still not echo-friendly and it follows a fast fashion business model. Anyway, its latest environmentally friendly decisions are certainly a first step to the right direction.
This new playful and flamboyant collection is a start to fix the fast fashion industry and make a change in the form of a vibrant, flirty dress.