H&M’s Latest Conscious Collection Explores the Beauty of Waste

In 2010, fast fashion behemoth H&M launched its first Conscious Collection, made with sustainable materials such as organic cotton and recycled polyester. 10 years later, the line is taking its ethos further with a new collection made from waste.

Crafted out of sustainably sourced materials and experimental textiles (including a fabric made from responsibly sourced wood pulp) and using innovative processes that transform food crop waste into natural fibres, the pieces in H&M’s Conscious Exclusive A/W ‘20 collection all have unusual origin stories.

“For A/W ‘20, we really wanted to be trailblazers – pushing the limits of creativity and sustainable fashion – by focusing on waste,” Ann-Sofie Johansson, creative advisor at H&M, said in a statement. “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.”

The womenswear collection contains pieces such as jacquard dresses, tailored suiting and voluminous tops with floral and ruffle detailing. Menswear also makes a return to Conscious Exclusive this season with classic suiting and shirting. Accessories include bold choker necklaces, earrings and shoe clips in recycled metals, vegan leather shoes, and a pair of sunglasses crafted from Made of Air, a material partly made from waste biomass.

One of the models featured in this season’s H&M Conscious campaign is Zinnia Kumar, who is also an ecologist and published scientist in human evolutionary biology and ecology.

“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,” said Kumar in a release. “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.”

Conscious Exclusive A/W ‘20 will be available online from December 3.