H&M is releasing a sustainable collection – utilising recycled shoreline waste – and featuring supermodel Natalia Vodianova – entitled ‘Conscious Exclusive’, due to land in stores on 20th April 2017.
A need for positive change
The fashion industry is needing to make changes in response to worldwide backlash against poor environmental production methods and labour standards, so it is good to see steps made towards recognising this. In April we posted about the ethical clothing guide to help consumers here.
I posted about the pros and cons of international fashion coming to New Zealand here.
Sustainable material
Mega-fashion retailer H&M is launching its Conscious Exclusive collection in response to this call for environmentally-aware fashion production with a new fabric made from recycled plastic bottles from beaches.
BIONIC woman
This new material, BIONIC®, is a recycled polyester made from plastic shoreline waste. You would be forgiven for thinking this sounds very plastic and stiff, but it is soft and fluid, as shown in the signature pink gown on Natalia.
Womenswear and Kids
As well as a full sustainable collection for women, theConscious Exclusive collection will for the first time include children’s wear garments and will hit shop floors in approximately 160 stores around the globe from 20th April 2017.
Natalia Vodianova is the face of the collection
Supermodel and philanthropist Natalia Vodianova is the face of the 2017 Conscious Exclusive campaign, her first for H&M.
“I am proud to appear in the H&M Conscious Exclusive 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,” says Natalia Vodianova.
Aim to increase sustainable production
Across all of H&M’s product ranges, 20% are now made from more sustainable materials (2015), with the aim each year to increase the share. H&M is one of the world’s biggest users of recycled polyester and one of the biggest buyers of organic cotton. The goal for cotton is that it is to be 100% sustainably sourced by 2020.
For more information, please visit about.hm.com/sustainability.
Megan Robinson
7th February 2017