STYLE is not the only thing that matters. For Swedish fashion retailer H&M, both style and sustainability make the fashion world so much better.
Its new H&M Conscious Exclusive collection introduces the pioneering sustainable material Bionic, a recycled polyester made from plastic shoreline waste. At first glance, its intricate plisse pleat gown in powder pink looks like it is made from chiffon but it uses the fluid fabric instead.
This shows how it is natural for the best styles to be conscious of the environment.
Supermodel and philanthropist Natalia Vodianova is the face of this year’s collection — her first ever campaign for H&M.
“I am proud to appear in the campaign. It’s amazing to see the advances in sustainable fabrics that are used in the collection, pointing towards a more sustainable future for all fashion,” she says.
In addition to a full collection for women, it will, for the first time, include children’s items.
The Conscious Exclusive fragrance made from organic oils will also make its debut. “For the design team at H&M, this year’s Conscious Exclusive is a chance to dream and create pieces that are both quirky and beautiful. “It is great to be able to show just what is possible with sustainable materials like what we have done with the delicate plisse dress,” says H&M head of design and creative director Pernilla Wohlfahrt.
The collection will be available in 160 stores worldwide, and online, from April 20. As of 2015, 20 per cent of all H&M’s product ranges are made from “more sustainable materials”, with the aim to increase the share each year.
On its website, H&M says it is one of the world’s biggest users of recycled polyester and one of the biggest buyers of organic cotton, aiming for 100 per cent sustainably sourced by 2020.
It is part of H&M’s ambition to make sustainable, good-quality fashion accessible to as many people as possible.