H&M Conscious 2017 uses Ocean trash! Are we buzzing & buying?

H&M Conscious recently presented it’s 2017 collection and raised the bar from last year’s collection. What caught the media attention and was posted by every single digital magazine was the Pink gown made entirely from ocean plastic trash a.k.a BIONIC Yarn which we also talked about in Pharell William’s range for G-Star Raw jeans.
The beautiful dress has caught the fancy of fashion media & designers worldwide and for good reason. One look at the delicate pleated number and it’s hard to imagine this beauty comes from recycled ocean trash! But that’s the wonder of innovative sustainable materials. And H&M has been actively using fabric and materials that have a reduced carbon footprint it’s Conscious Collection since the launch in 2016. The fast fashion giant has realised that fashion’s extensive dependence on natural resources can only be curtailed by innovative materials that have minimal carbon footprint- recycled or natural. Here’s a look at the collection.

 

 

 

H&M CONSCIOUS MATERIAL STORY

Here is a glimpse of some of the sustainable materials being used in H&M Conscious Collection.

 

 

 

 

 

 
H&M has repeatedly spoken about their continued emphasis on using innovative and sustainable materials for Conscious Collection and we’re hoping they continue this sustainability drive.
This year’s collection also includes kid’s collection.  There will also be a Conscious Exclusive fragrance made from organic oils. The collection launches at select H&M stores worldwide and online from 20 April 2017. Watch the video here:

 
They have also started their « Bring it on » in-store activation where they urge people to bring and dump the clothes no longer wanted by them at the collection bin placed inside stores. Watch the video of what they do with the clothes here:

 
With the launch of the previous Conscious line by H&M we had discussed if the collection was yet another marketing gimmick or actually shop-worthy. Here’s what we had investigated.

 

H&M Conscious? Flop or shop?

Let’s be clear, Fashionistas and Shopaholics are no monsters. Nobody of us actually wants to waste a thousands litres of water just to make a well fitting basic t-shirt. Nobody wants to pollute rivers with endless amounts of chemicals to get the latest denim jacket.
Fact is that fashion industry does all to hide the cruel side of the business behind a lot of glamour and sequins. And fact is that conscious and smart shopping is still the exception, not the rule.
Would it not be amazing if a well known International fashion label that is cool and trendy, with a large choice for everybody and accessible all over the world would be eco and so eco it would get supported by our green hero like Greenpeace, WWF & friends and validated by our Eco-fashion community? This would be amazing, right? Or at least a super facilitator to reach out to a larger target.
So when you hear that a brand like H&M goes Conscious this would help us make the Fashion world a little bit greener and a little bit easier, no? Unfortunately it is not that easy.  You will see as you read ahead that it is true that H&M is doing a lot of great green things which is great. But -and the but is essential- H&M is and stays Fast Fashion. You need to know that it is actually Fast Fashion that makes an already polluting industry even worse.
So to shop or not shop at H&M if you are an UrbanMeister?
To let you make your own opinion, we give you both sides of the coin. The first side is from the perspective of a “very green fashionista”, not to call him an “H&M hater”. This view considers H&M going Conscious is all Marketing blah blah and not a genuine green move. The second perspective is a “green mainstream maniac’s” valorising H&M’s green efforts as his objective is to make mainstream brands go green and sustainable.

READ THE FULL DEBATE HERE

 

Discover more sustainable shopping hotspots right here!

1. The cool fashion sharing portal Hylla penderie partagée

2. London Ethical Knitwear brand STUDY 34

2. NYC Leisurewear label PonyBabe

4. Parisian label WYLDE.