Adwoa, Jill and Ebonee Headline H&M Fall 2019 Conscious Recycled PET Bottles Collection
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Top model and activist Adwoa Aboah joins Jill Kortleve and Ebonee Davis in launching H&M’s Fall 2019 Conscious collection and campaign. The collection will be released worldwide in September.
Recycled polyester is the key material for H&M’s Fall 2019 Conscious Collection, found in the dresses, shirts, knitwear, outerwear and tailored pieces. Most often made from used PET bottles, recycled polyester is processed and spun to create a fabric that’s easy to care for. Meanwhile, the jersey pieces in the collection are made from organic cotton or blend made out of TENCEL™ lyocell fibres.
If the sustainable fabrics aren’t classic, the key pieces in H&M’s Fall 2019 Conscious Collection have a timeless quality.
Figure-flattering dresses and tailored separates are key. Over-sized hoodies are modern essentials, doubling as dresses. Another Conscious Collection staple is a checked shirt that can be paired with leggings and slim jeans. Knitwear features high necks and cropped bodies, while the outerwear is boxy yet chic. The color palette features light neutral tones, black and pops of orange-red. Animal prints and different kinds of checks heighten the sophisticated, cosmopolitan looks that project the overall mood of the new offering.
“We want to use our size to lead the change towards circular and renewable fashion. The H&M Fall 2019 Conscious Collection is an amazing example of how far we have come with technology and innovations replacing conventional materials with recycled alternatives,” Pascal Brun, Global Sustainability Manager at H&M.
The company is promising to use only sustainably sourced materials by 2030 and advised clients about what those words mean in the current issue of H&M magazine.
“Sustainably sourced materials are fabrics that require significantly less water, energy and chemicals to produce or grow than conventional materials. Besides the Conscious Collections, we also have Conscious garments that can be found across all our departments all year round — just look out for our green Conscious hangtags,” Brun explains.
H&M is eager to advise consumers that green Conscious hangtags will be an increasing presence in its stores. To qualify for a green hangtag, a product must contain at least 50 per cent sustainable materials. Many garments contain much higher amount of sustainable fibers, with the exception of recycled cotton. With its present production process, recycled cotton can comprise only 20 percent of a garment due to quality restraints. Developing higher-performance recycled cotton is an innovation priority for H&M.
H&M submits its fabrications to third-party rating agencies to guarantee its sustainability claims to customers.
These innovations are not enough to abate the damages done to the environment and our planet as the result of fast-fashion consumption and our throw-away closet culture. AOC is sharing increasingly tough op-ed pieces written by fashion industry experts who argue that shrinking retail units purchases is the only innovation that protects the environment.
We are inclined to adopt this view and maintain these practices in our own fashion consumption patterns. At the same time, AOC believes strongly in supporting major retailers and manufacturers who are making sustainable practices far more than marketing buzz words, while continuing to ravage the environment. H&M is one of those companies.
AOC does not currently have affiliate relationships with any of the H&M brands, but that will probably change in 2020. When the change happens, we won’t keep people guessing with “we might make a commission on products.” AOC will publicly list which H&M brands we’re always promoting, and will never hesitate to document stumbles the company experiences in its efforts to resolve the complex issues that accompany the size and ubiquitous scale of its enterprise.
