A sketch from H&M’s Close the Loop collection.
Fast fashion isn’t known for being environmentally friendly. In fact, it’s often known for the exact opposite, especially when it comes to denim.
For a full run-down of the facts, check out the documentary The True Cost, which breaks down everything from cotton farming practices to manufacturing (and all the nightmarish details within each).
But H&M is turning a new leaf. Two years ago, the mega retailer started collecting castoffs from customers in its Garment Collecting Initiative — and offering a sweet 15% off incentive for doing so. In the time that they’ve been collecting clothes, they’ve also launched the Conscious Collection, which incorporates organic cottons and more sustainable practices.
Now, H&M is launching the Close the Loop collection, which is denim done right: using recycled materials and more environmentally conscious production methods.
“Creating a closed loop for textiles, in which unwanted clothes can be recycled into new ones, will not only minimize textile waste,” H&M CEO Karl-Johan Persson said in a release to announce the collection, “but also significantly reduce the need for virgin resources as well as other impacts fashion has on our planet.”
A sketch from H&M’s Close the Loop collection.
When the 14-piece Close the Loop collection hits stores this September, it will include options for women, children and men, so the whole family can get in on this new green initiative — especially with prices starting at just $4 and topping out at $55.
The debut collection includes a shearling-collar denim jacket to a flared jumpsuit for the ladies and plenty for guys in a variety of washes.
Only 20% of the cotton used in the collection comes from the collected clothes (which have been amassed since 2013), but the Swedish label says it’s continuing to look into developing fabric-salvaging technology that will increase that percentage in subsequent collections.
And speaking of sequels, H&M promises that forthcoming Close the Loop collections will be broader and offer even more options, all of which will contain at minimum 20% recycled materials.
In the mean time, save anything you’re thinking of donating and head to H&M and make a deposit. Who knows, your castoffs might just come back to you in the form of new jeans next season.
For more information, visit www.hm.com.
Images courtesy H&M
