Source: Vogue
The fourth drop in the series turns the spotlight on dissolvable sewing thread and repurposed ocean waste
If you thought that the words sustainability and style couldn’t be used in conjunction, allow H&M’s new collection to convince you otherwise with summery brights and highlighter hues that come together in a joyous riot of textures, prints and patterns. Expect party-ready numbers tricked out with polka dots, bows and frills that will inspire you to start dreaming up ways to liven your apres-hours wardrobe. The clincher? The collection has been crafted with an eco-conscious ethos that ensures minimal impact on the planet. Sounds like a win-win, yes?
Since its launch in early 2021, H&M Innovation Stories has furthered its sustainability agenda with a series of themed collections. While precious iterations focused on sustainable methods of working with colour and animal-friendly fashion, the fourth edition turns the spotlight on circular design strategies and fabrics, called ‘Circular Design Story’. Joy was the central inspiration for the circular collection, says Ella Soccorsi, concept designer at H&M. “Many of us have missed the transformative aspect of fashion during the pandemic, which is why we wanted to make a collection that signalled a return to excitement, self-expression and dressing up. We were really interested in creating a collection that pushed forward conversations around recycling and reusing fashion materials, while making something that was beautiful, bold and optimistic,” she says.
Soccorsi concedes that beautiful and bold might not be the first adjectives that come to mind when thinking of sustainable fashion—and the new collection seeks to shatter this stereotype. She says, “We felt that people had a particular vision in their mind when you talk about sustainable fashion, and we wanted to challenge that with a bright, fashion-focused collection that is designed with circularity in mind.” The key takeaway? All styles of fashion—including the exuberant and the glamourous—can be sustainable, she believes.
A closer look at the cutting-edge materials in H&M’s Innovation Circular Design Story
A concrete step towards the goal of becoming a climate-positive business by 2040 is being taken by the roster of circular fabrics introduced in the new collection. REPREVE® Our Ocean offers ocean-bound plastic a fresh lease of life by deploying the fibres and resin into fabrics instead. In a bid to diffuse the mounting spectre of marine pollution, the focus is placed on plastic waste collected from high-risk areas within fifty kilometres of waterways and coastal areas in developing countries. She adds, “Browse through the collection, and you’ll find it used on faux fur coats, puffers, dresses and trousers. Ambercycle Cycora, meanwhile, makes use of old garments and end-of-life textile waste that is redirected into pieces like a pair of black women’s trousers with strap details.”
The quest for innovation doesn’t end there though—the new collection also plays host to RESORTECS® smart stitch, a dissolvable sewing thread that allows garments to be easily be taken apart and recycled when they finally reach the end of their life cycle. Through the application of heat at a certain temperature, the smart thread affords easier disassembly at an industrial scale so the fabric can be recycled with greater ease. She affirms, “RESORTECS® is proof of how much positivity can come when focusing on recyclability during the production stage itself. In this collection, you’ll find it used to attach sequins and beads that can be recycled more easily at the end of their life cycle.”
Those on the party prowl will also want to bookmark the leather-effect jackets and shoes constructed from Vegea™, a vegan alternative crafted from grape skins, stalks and leftover seeds during the wine-making process that has featured in previous collections as well. “Sustainability is not just about one-time effort but rather, about consistency and building strong relationships with those who are doing pioneering sustainability work within the industry, season upon season,” she signs off.
