The A/W20 collection creates beauty with innovative fabrics and processes, such as transforming food crop waste into a natural fiber, creating fabrics made from sustainably sourced wood pulp and using a unique garment-to-garment process. The materials can be found in womenswear pieces, such as opulent evening gowns in black and green jacquard taffeta, yellow jacquard or festooned with dusty green flowers. The collection also features statement piece tops and tailored suiting. Dramatic volume, softly structured shapes and ruffles combined with an edgy undertone to create a glamorous look and feel. Menswear makes a return to Conscious Exclusive with a classic tuxedo, luxe suiting, shirting and a yellow jacquard jacket.
Accessories include bold choker necklaces, earrings, shoe clips in recycled metals and a pair of sunglasses crafted from Made of Air®, a material partly made from waste biomass. Shoes from the collection, made from VEGEA™, a vegan leather partly made from wine by-products, can be worn as a mule or boot with a removeable sock. Prints throughout the collection are inspired by vintage floral wallpaper and tapestries. Flower appliqués and moth motifs within the collection are reminiscent of the cycle of life.
“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.
Two H&M stores in Stockholm and Berlin will be offering a rental service of six different A/W20 pieces – some are unique to only the rental service, while others are made in exclusive colorways.
The Conscious Exclusive A/W20 campaign encourages us to “wear the waste” in an effort to change fashion. Zinnia Kumar, an Australian-born, London-based ecologist, activist, and model, is the face of the campaign.
“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.
