WEARABLE PLASTICS: A TEXTILE INNOVATION
Creations in H&M collection crafted using minimum 50 per cent ‘conscious’ materials
There’s no denying that fashion is fun. After all, there are few things that rival the thrill of slipping into a garment that makes you feel like a million bucks.
But that sartorial sensation also happens to be the byproduct of one of the most environmentally onerous industries on the planet. From the pollution of waterways through pesticides on farms and dyes in factories, to the long, convoluted supply chain stemming from raw materials to point of sale, the industry has plenty of areas that could stand to be cleaned up.
These factors, coupled with the near-reckless speed at which collections are presented and trends are consumed by shoppers, the question becomes: How can we love fashion and simultaneously respect the environment?
“Working in the fashion business, I think that’s something you struggle with daily,” Ann-Sofie Johansson, creative adviser at H&M, says. “I love fashion and I want to continue to love that. But, how do we do that in the best possible way?”
Johansson and the rest of the Sweden-based team are involved in an ongoing effort to change the way we not only see and buy sustainable fashion — but also how other retailers view the massive overhaul of the industry in order to embrace “greener” practices.
And, according to Johansson, it all starts with creating cool clothes.
“There’s nothing so unsustainable as to create clothes that no one wants to have,” she says. “It always has to start with a fashion point of view.”
The two elements — style and sustainability — are merged together with the Conscious collections, which sees H&M design teams experiment with recycled textiles to create clothes that fashion fans love, while simultaneously taking one step closer to closing the loop of resources in the clothing industry.
“The collections are really about pushing the boundaries — of fashion, and also sustainability,” says Cecilia Brannsten, acting environmental sustainability manager at H&M. “We want to show that fashion can be sustainable, but also that sustainability can really be fashionable, as well.”
For the latest Conscious Exclusive collection, which includes womenswear, accessories and footwear, the design team stayed in Sweden to find its inspiration, travelling north to Sundborn, in the province of Dalarna. Their destination: Lilla Hyttnas, the former home of Swedish artists Karin and Carl Larsson.
The collection’s designs, which include floral-print trousers, a striped blouse, a cream-and-black kimono and more — are inspired by the duo’s unique style, with several pieces including replications of motifs and patterns borrowed from select works. But while the pieces are inspired by the antique home and the Larssons’ 19th-century and early 20th-century art, there is a distinct modernity to the pieces.
“It should always have a little modernity,” Johansson explains of the designs. “And that modernity often comes in with the fabrics that we use. We try to develop or be very innovative.”
The creations are crafted using a minimum 50 per cent “conscious” materials — materials that are evaluated by a third party to be sustainable from an environmental perspective. The textiles are evaluated for factors, including life-cycle assessment, material indexes and more. Each fabric must be certified by accredited agencies, according to Brannsten.
“Of course, we continue to use the materials that we started to use in the previous Conscious Exclusive collections,” she explains. “Recycled polyester, for example, is used from old (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles that are recycled into flakes and then made into beautiful yarns.
“Recycled polyesters is one of the fabrics we used when we first started the Conscious Exclusive collection — and now we’re actually one of the largest users in the world of recycled polyester. So, we’ve really made great progress from the first garments shown in these collections, showing that this is really a way for us to try out new, innovative materials that we can later scale.”
Last year, the company introduced Bionic Yarn, which is recycled polyester that is made from various types of shoreline waste such as plastic bottles, food containers and plastic shopping bags. And this year, for the seventh collection, the H&M team introduced an innovative new fabric called Econyl.
“This is regenerated nylon,” Brannsten says, motioning toward a white-lace wedding dress created from a delicate webbing of threads. “It’s nylon made out of old fishing nets or carpets — or even production waste. It’s really a way for us to, of course, save resources, but also to clean the ocean of the ‘ghost nets.’ ”
Ghost nets and ghost gear are terms used to refer to the assorted detritus and devices used in the commercial fishing industry that can be found abandoned or lost in the oceans. To give a sense of just how much of these forgotten nets, buoys, traps and more are out there floating around, 640,000 tonnes of “ghost gear” is left in the oceans each year, according to World Animal Protection.
In addition to Econyl, the latest Conscious Exclusive collection includes select pieces crafted from reclaimed silver (which won’t be available in select markets, including Canada, because of regulations surrounding precious metals).
“Recycled silver, which is recycled from old coins, candlesticks or cutlery. It can also be sourced from production,” Brannsten explains. “It really is a way for us to avoid the impact that mining has on the planet and to ensure that all the silver that is already out there is being recycled and reused.”
But, while introducing innovative textiles into the brand’s various Conscious collections is an important step, the H&M team are the first to acknowledge skeptics’ concerns that they have a long way to go toward reaching their sustainability goals. (In addition to the Exclusive collection, there are now full sport and denim offerings, as well as regular collection items identifiable by green hang tags that adorn the garments made with the green-initiative fabrics.)
“We have to do this in a way that the planet can afford. We need to stay within the planetary boundaries. So, we need to rethink the way that fashion is made and used,” Brannsten says. “And we need to turn from this linear resource model where we take resources from the ground and we use them until the day they become waste.
“We need to move to a circular fashion model where we maximize the use and the value of these resources, making sure they never become waste and we keep them in closed loops.”
Overall, in 2017, 35 per cent of the company ’s clothing was created using recycled or sustainably sourced materials. By 2030, the goal is to have all materials used to be either recycled or sustainably sourced.
“We want our customers to love and care for their clothes and to use them. And, when they ’re done, they should pass them on to someone else. And, finally, they should be recycled,” Brannsten explains.
In order to facilitate this process each H&M store accepts used and generally unwanted clothing and bedding items for repurposing/ recycling. While the program has been in action for some time now, many H&M shoppers don’t realize that they can turn in their unwanted garments.
“We collect clothing and home textiles independently of brand and independently of condition,” Brannsten says. “It could be the one sock that you can’t find the other pair of, it could be old underwear and it could be something that you’ve grown out of.”
Johansson says, in addition to the efforts of retailers, it’s important for consumers to take an active interest in reassessing their clothing-consumption practices.
“We are all consumers also. And we have a responsibility to be more aware and more conscious when we spend,” she says. “It’s sustainable spending. And we need to put more pressure on companies like us, like H&M, to seek transparency and ask questions. How is this made? Where is this made?
“And, ask yourself if you really need this new garment. Do I have something at home that is similar? If so, maybe I can restyle it.”
We have to do this in a way that the planet can afford … We need to rethink the way that fashion is made and used.