Zinnia Kumar 'Wears the Waste' in H&M Conscious Exclusive A/W 2020 Collection
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Zinnia Kumar 'Wears the Waste' in H&M Conscious Exclusive A/W 2020 Collection
In their own words, H&M celebrates their A/W 2020 collection that literally creates “beauty from waste.” The innovative processes transform food crop waste into a natural fibre, make elegant fibers out of wood pulp. Menswear makes a return to Conscious Exclusive, where evening and tuxedo looks are prevalent in gorgeous clothes available December 1.
“For A/W20, we really wanted to be trailblazers – pushing the limits of creativity and sustainable fashion – by focusing on waste. As a result, the pieces in this collection are crafted from truly amazing materials produced from waste. Working with this kind of transformation and being able to speak to our customers through beauty, we hope that waste can be part of the future of sustainable fashion,”
says Ann-Sofie Johansson, creative advisor at H&M.
The Conscious Exclusive A/W20 campaign encourages us to “wear the waste” in an endeavour to change fashion and features Zinnia Kumar, an Australian-born, London-based ecologist, activist and model.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of this Conscious Exclusive campaign, especially as H&M is paving the way for sustainable collections to become the industry norm. As consumers, we will no longer need to differentiate between fashionability and sustainability, as they will become one and the same. As an ecologist working in fashion, this fills me with hope,”
says Zinnia Kumar, ecologist, activist and model.
Is H&M Between a Rock and a Hard Place in the Greenwashing Argument?
In America we use the expression “between a rock and a hard place” or “I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t.” In February 2020, H&M was accused of greenwashing over its plans to begin clothes production using Circulose, a sustainable fabric made from up-cycled clothing and fashion waste.
The clothes sold by H&M will comprise a Circulose/Viscose blend that uses 50 per cent Circulose sourced from upcycled cotton jeans fabric and 50 per cent viscose sourced from FSC-certified wood.
Anti-fashion fashion activist Venetia La Manna, called the move another example of H&M “greenwashng” its consumers.
“Circulose is an absolute box-ticker,” La Manna says. “Not only is it creating something from waste, it’s also vegan-friendly, non-toxic, durable and biodegradable. As a ‘new’ material, it’s much more planet friendly than a lot of the sustainable yarns that are already on the market.
“With this in mind, it’s a real shame to hear that Circulose chose to partner with H&M on such an exciting, circular and innovative yarn. Sustainable fashion absolutely needs to be as accessible for as many people as possible, but the fast fashion model will never reach that all important net zero target that we need to be aiming for.”
La Manna explained that textile waste has increased drastically in recent years and the focus should be on reducing how much we buy and slowing production rates rather than introducing new materials to consume.
La Manna muddies the waters in her argument, stirring up silt everywhere possible. She especially attacks the Conscious Exclusive collection — efforts like this one — as greenwashing. My personal hopes are that H&M will build a more conscious business model in which fashion-lovers buy one more expensive Conscious Exclusive item and forego three cheaper ones.
“Ultimately, the sheer amount of product H&M produces is causing irreversible harm to both planet and people, and completely outweighs their sustainability efforts,” La Manna explained to The Independent. “Fashion this fast can never and will never be sustainable.” It’s not that she doesn’t raise valid concerns. I agree with her that people — and especially women — are buying too many fashion items that are warn once or twice and discarded.
