“The stimulus for SS20 was the idea of glamorous train travel, which the design team felt was wonderfully symbolic of H&M’s journey as a company towards circularity. We were inspired by Le Train Bleu, and the decadent creatives such as Jean Cocteau and Pablo Picasso hanging out at Villa Santo Sospir in Cap Ferrat. We wanted to propose a collection that played to that decadent, carefree time but also contained enduring designs our customers will love wearing daily,” says Ella Soccorsi, designer at H&M.
Key pieces include a floor-length recycled polyester ball gown; a recycled taffeta mini dress with pleated sleeves; a CIRCULOSE® , a ruffled day dress; a recycled taffeta blouse with embellished sleeves; and a denim which is made of 100 % undyed organic cotton. Key accessories include flat cocktail slippers with recycled glass bead embellishment (leftover from a previous collection) and a bag made from VEGEA™, an innovative vegan leather alternative made from discarded grape skins and stalks.
“For SS20, the Conscious Exclusive design team considered the emotional durability and afterlife of the garments they were designing more carefully than ever before. The team has doubled down on fabric composition, alongside utilizing dyeing methods that comes with less environmental impacts – we actually used a natural dye made from coffee grounds collected from H&M’s own production offices. We are committed to a truly holistic approach to sustainability, as well as to creating special pieces that will last a lifetime,” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, creative advisor at H&M.