H&M SS16 - A modern collection full of historic charm, made with more sustainable materials

The 2016 Conscious Exclusive Collection effortlessly merges a sense of history with modernity.
Launched to coincide with the opening of the exhibition Fashion Forward - 300 years of Fashion at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, to which it pays homage, the collection conveys an idea of painterly and sophisticated elegance.

The H&M design team has delved into the museum’s collections of archival fashions in order to pick up key pieces from the last three centuries of haute couture.
The result is a contemporary and artistic collection that is soulful, progressive, conscious and truly unique.
The collection will be available in approximately 180 stores worldwide and online from April 7.
 

 "Working with innovative sustainable materials and ornate embellishment, the collection is a layering of references, shapes and textures topped off by intensely decorative accessories and deco-inspired bijoux,” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, Creative Advisor at H&M.
 The fluid and easy silhouette revolves around languid dresses, arty kaftans and sculpted skirts.

Prints add a dash of surprise, turning dresses into trompe l'oeil paintings or sculptures.
A long ball gown with a deep neckline features a marble draping print;

 a liquid dress is adorned with a slice of Botticelli's Three Graces.

 Short dresses and painter blouses ooze nonchalant sophistication, creating an electric and eclectic short-circuit between present and past. “One of my favourite pieces from the collection is the mini asymmetric dress that was inspired by a painting by Gustave Moreau. I love the mix of a conscious, sustainable fabric and an old painting. It’s great to be able to have sustainable clothes that still look red carpet-ready,” says Julia Restoin Roitfeld, the face of the campaign.

Materials include organic silk, hemp, recycled linen and Tencel® blends as well as new innovative materials such as beads and rhinestones made from recycled glass and Denimite − a material made out of recycled worn-out denim, which H&M is the first fashion company to use.

Also new for this season’s launch of Conscious Exclusive are three wedding dresses − a feast of lightness and embellishment materialised in dreamy, draped lines, for the bride wanting to be as beautifully dressed as she is conscious.

 H&M will be the exclusive sponsor of the upcoming exhibition Fashion Forward - 300 years of Fashion at Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Pamela Golbin is the Chief Curator of the exhibition.

Vanessa Paradis is the face of Conscious, as H&M launches Garment Collecting

Vanessa Paradis is the face of Conscious at H&M this spring, wearing pieces in the campaign that are both on-trend and also more-sustainable. 

The actress and singer wears a ruffle-edged yellow sundress (below image), as well as an embellished zip-up utility jacket worn with botanical print trousers (above image).

Other pieces in the collection consist of romantic styles like a floor-length dress and more sporty shapes such as a cropped jumpsuit and a tropical print T-shirt dress.
There are accessories too, such as ankle-strap heels, and the entire collection is made from more sustainable materials, such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, and Tencel.
The full women’s collection will be available in H&M stores worldwide as well as online from end of March, alongside Conscious collections for Men - blazers, chinos, Ikat print shirts and shorts – and fun prints for kids and babies.
Vanessa Paradis says, “I like being part of something like the Conscious collection at H&M. I try my best to shop consciously, and vintage is very much part of my wardrobe. I love the style and it works in an eco-friendly way because I like to use and reuse old clothes.”
 Coinciding with the campaign will be the launch of a Conscious garment collecting action at H&M. Customers will be able to bring any unwanted garments from any label to selected stores, and in return for each bag receive an H&M voucher, to a maximum of two bags per customer per day. H&M is the first store to encourage garment return on this scale, in an effort to prevent clothing from going to landfill.

www.hm.com

 

H&M Conscious launches an Exclusive Glamour Collection

The H&M Conscious range shows that you can create red carpet glamour and keep green. Their new Exclusive Glamour Collection uses the more sustainable materials such as organic cotton and hemp as well as recycled polyester. 

 This glamorous evening dress features creamy white organic cotton and silk bouclé at the top, with a frothy organza plissé meringue skirt – available in a limited edition of 1,000 pieces, each individually numbered.

The collection has already been seen on the red carpet. Amanda Seyfried wore the blue tuxedo blazer and shorts at a London premiere.

 Oscar nominee Viola Davis has been seen in the hot-pink sleeveless top and skirt ...

....and 'Sex & the City' Kristin Davis wore the apple green organic cotton embroidered dress to a Vanity Fair event.

Here’s a few more pieces of this Exclusive Conscious collection, which will be available from April 12 in around 100 stores H&M worldwide, as well as selected looks on-line www.hm.com

 

PHOTO PRINT DRESS

Kaleidoscope colors decorate this photo print dress and matching jacket in a recycled polyester blend.

BEADED MAXI -This lemon yellow chiffon maxi gown in recycled polyester has a beaded bodice, combining elegant decoration with classic design.

So there's no excuse not to go green for red carpet glamour.

All Photographs by Kacper Kasprzyk