If the past 18 months have taught me anything, it’s that my relationship with fashion is ever-evolving. In that time, not only have we lived through a global pandemic (and still are), but I’ve also had a baby and returned to full-time work. The wardrobe I once had — and that I have amassed after more than a decade of working in fashion — is mostly obsolete. My priorities have shifted. I now work from home (like most people in Sydney right now), and my body shape isn’t exactly what it was pre-baby. And that’s OK. One of the things I love most about fashion is that it can ear-mark a time in your life. Remember bubble hems? They take me straight back to my final year in high school. Neon prom-inspired dresses? I’m in 2009 and it’s 21st season. When I look back on this time, I know it will be the era I started to think more consciously about the brands I wear, the impact they have on the planet, and what they’re doing to drive towards a more sustainable future.
Fashion can and often has felt unattainable. Not many people can afford to put aside a week’s worth of rent for a pair of sustainably-made jeans, which is why the new spring collection from H&M is so important. Without compromising on style, it’s making sustainable fashion accessible for everyone, and has an ambitious aim to only use 100% recycled or other sustainably sourced materials by 2030. The brand is committed to upcycling, recycling and reusing, rather than using up even more virgin resources. As of 2020, 100% of H&M’s cotton is organic, recycled or sourced through Better Cotton Initiative. Why is this relevant? Organic cotton is grown without harmful pesticides and uses 62% less energy and 91% less water. Recycled cotton stops waste material rom going to landfill and reduces the use of virgin raw materials. H&M also helps prevent more material from going to landfill by offering a ‘drop off’ for old clothes and discarded textiles in all H&M stores in Australia and New Zealand.
I’ve always relied on H&M to update my wardrobe. I still have a pair of perfect high-waisted blue-wash jeans I’ve worn religiously since 2017 (and even wrote about back in 2018 over at Who What Wear). I visit the H&M website often hoping they’ve been recut in another colour because the fit is just that good. These jeans have become a staple in my wardrobe, and still look just as good as they did on the first day I wore them (actually, I think they’re even better now), and I’m certain it has a lot to do with the fabric. They were from the brand’s Conscious collection, so I know first-hand the quality and longevity of H&M’s sustainable collections.
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The H&M Spring 2021 collection launches in stores on September 16 and online at hm.com.
Note: Due to Government COVID regulations, not all stores are currently open.
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This month, H&M launches its spring collection, driving innovation in sustainability even further. The brand is leading the charge within the fashion industry by scaling new innovative materials such as Agraloop™ Biofibre™. The material is a natural fibre levering food crop waste for textile fibre production. The fabric first popped up in its AW20 collection and has since increased in scope and amount used since first introduced at H&M. An example of how H&M’s Conscious Exclusive collection is a proven incubator for new technologies and materials.
The Agraloop™ Biofibre™ material can be found in several pieces in the collection, such as the sleeveless cropped hoodie and softly structured trench coat. The rest of the collection features other more sustainable materials, some left undyed, encompassing organic cotton jersey, denim and poplin, and crisp organic linen.
So what’s our role? We’re here to help you with your spring shopping plans — and if you’re not sure where to start, trust me when I say it’s this collection. Every piece can seamlessly slip into your wardrobe, and act as the anchors for the season ahead and beyond.
A wearable mix of sporty and 90s minimalism, the colour palette is pared back and neutral — beige, ecru, grey and black. You’ll find a slip dress with tie straps and ruching detail down the side (that I can imagine wearing with chunky sneakers for day, or a strappy kitten heel at night), a sleeveless denim vest with patch pockets that I’ll be layering over everything I own, shorts with elasticated waistbands, and denim trousers you’ll wonder how you ever lived without.
In order to help you continue to develop your personal style, we’ve tapped five influential women to find out more about how they developed theirs, with a hope to inspire you. In our series, The Conscious Spring Edit, you’ll find modest fashion influencer Nawal Sari, beauty expert-turned-food influencer Jessica Nguyen, sustainable fashion
editor and founder of The Wardrobe Crisis Clare Press, curve model (and POPSUGAR’s very own culture producer) Laura Roscioli and skinfluencer living with stage IV cancer, Natalie Fornasier.
Each woman showcases their unique style and the way they’ve incorporated the collection into their wardrobe. Conscious fashion choices should be accessible to all, and this collection from H&M steers us one step closer.
Words by Amanda Bardas
How H&M’s New Spring Collection Is Making Sustainable Fashion More Accessible
How H&M's New Spring Collection Is
Making Sustainable Fashion More Accessible
Editor's Letter
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