Sustainability is today a buzzword in the global apparel industry; Fashion Revolution Week 2019 (22-28 April)

News that more and more global fashion brands and retailers are striving to tackle sustainability continue to emerge as we enter Fashion Revolution Week 2019 (22-28 April) which promotes greater transparency in the fashion supply chain.

London-based eco-footwear brand
Po-Zu  uses sustainable materials.
On Monday 29th April, Po-Zu founder, 
Sven Segal  will be speaking on the 
Nature Of Fashion panel, one of many events 
organised by Know The Origin for their 
Fashion Revolution 2019 pop-up shop. 
Photo by Lucia Carpio.

For one, US-based jeans brand Wrangler, owned by the VF Corp, has launched a new Made-in-USA denim collection that supports five US cotton-growing states – and takes the brand towards 100% sustainable cotton adoption by 2025.

Elsewhere, US retailer Walmart is teaming up with international bank HSBC to roll out a sustainable supply chain finance programme that pegs a supplier's financing rate to its sustainability performance.   Under the new scheme, suppliers that demonstrate progress on Walmart's Gigaton or Sustainability Index Program can apply for improved financing from HSBC based on their sustainability ratings.

Meanwhile German sportswear giant Adidas has launched a 100% recyclable performance running shoe called the Futurecraft.Loop, which is made without glue and from materials that can be broken down and reused to create a brand new running shoe.

And a company that produces sustainable textile fibres made from waste materials has raised EUR3.7m (US$4.2m) in funding from investors, including global fashion retailer H&M, to scale up production at its plant in Finland.

H&M announces bringing Product Transparency to Scale allowing customers to make informed choices.

H&M urges consumers to join its sustainable fashion future by launching transparency layer for all their garments on hm.com starting April 23.  By sharing extended details on where their garments are made they make it easier for customers to make more informed choices when shopping.

H&M's sustainable commitment began in 2013 when they were the first global fashion retailer to publish our supplier list online and starting in 2017 they tried out the transparency layer at a smaller scale on their Conscious Exclusive collections.

They are now taking this work one big leap further by launching product transparency for all garments on hm.com. In addition, the majority of H&M HOME interior products sold on their website will have this as well, according to their statement released today.

For each of their garments, H&M now share details such as production country, supplier names, factory names and addresses as well as the number of workers in the factories. In addition, customers can find out more about the materials used to make a specific garment.

“We are so proud to be the first global fashion retailer of our size and scale to launch this level of product transparency. We want to show the world that this is possible. By being open and transparent about where our products are made we hope to set the bar for our industry and encourage customers to make more sustainable choices. With transparency comes responsibility, making transparency such an important factor to help create a more sustainable fashion industry”, says Isak Roth, Head of Sustainability at H&M.

As of April 23, the transparency layer will be available in H&M’s 47 online markets. Customers can also access this information when shopping in their physical stores by using the H&M app to scan the price tag on a product to see its details.

Première Vision Paris September 2018

There was a buzz at the September 2018 edition of the Première Vision Paris trade show which attracted 55,497 international trade and professional visitors but it failed to match the figure of September 2017 which recorded more than 60,000 visitors.

More than 72% of the visitors came from outside France, with Italy being the largest registering at 11% of total, following by the United Kingdom (7%), Spain, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal. There was a strong presence of Swedish (602) and Danish (459) visitors, while Asia, which represented 14% of total visitors, including 3101 from China, 1610 from Japan and 1029 from Sourth Korea.

North America showed a slight decrease with 2,269 visitors, 1918 of whom came from the United States.  Although Turkey sent 5% of total visitors to the fair, it was a slight fall compared to previous years, due to its monetary and economic problems, according to organisers.

The 8.3% drop in total visitor numbers was down to a number of factors according to Première Vision, such as the clashing of dates with Yom Kippur (although the fair did open a day later than usual on a Wednesday rather than Tuesday) as well as a slowing consumption in general in Europe, uncertainties surrounding Brexit (as UK is one of the largest markets).    In addition to a critical monetary situation in Turkey, the organisers cited global growth weakened by US trade and economic policies had a contributing factor to uncertainties to the market.

The next edition of Première Vision Paris will be held from February 12 - 14. 2019.  Other upcoming PV events include Première Vision Istanbul October 10 - 12 2018,  the Denim Première Vision (December 5-6) in London, the Paris rendez-vous for pre-collections Blossom Première Vision (December 12-13), and Première Vision New York  will next take place January 15-16 2019.

Photos © Lucia Carpio 2018

 H&M and Klarna partner to elevate the modern shopping experience for consumers

Discussions among the visitors at the Première Vision Paris trade fair focused on how to introduce newness to entice consumers as brick and mortar retailers in all key markets are experiencing dwindling shoppers while online shopping is posing great competition and challenges to all in the fashion, interior and lifestyle industries.    Thus it is interesting to note that on October 8th in Stockhom, H&M - the world's second-largest clothes retailer together with Swedish fintech company Klarna announce that they have entered into a global partnership to further integrate H&M’s digital and physical stores to give customers a seamless, personalised and engaging shopping experience no matter where, when and how they shop. 

The deal will start in 14 European countries, starting with the U.K. and Sweden, but has the scope to expand to the U.S. and Asia, according to Klarna in a Finantial Times report, and promises to simplify H&M's returns and delivery processes which H&M.  It will power the H&M Club* payment programme, provide an enhanced omni-channel customer payment offering, a streamlined post-purchase service in the H&M app and many other service, and will deliver an unrivalled experience that will delight H&M customers across all touchpoints, according to the announcement.  

Recycled Cashmere and Velvet from recycled polyester for H&M’s new Conscious Exclusive Collection

This autumn, H&M is launching its debut Conscious Exclusive A/W 2018 collection showcasing a range of sustainable fabrics, including recycled cashmere and velvet made from recycled polyester.  The Conscious Exclusive A/W 2018 is available online 

from 27 September on hm.com.

Inspired by a lost fragment of an ancient tapestry, the collection merges the life and journey of lost historical artefacts with the latest in sustainable fabric innovation, proposing dramatic yet romantic silhouettes and a modern edge.

“The Autumn/Winter collection of Conscious Exclusive started with a desire to create a statement coat in a sustainable material that could be worn for both those special occasions and day-to-day life, but then evolved into something more substantial by merging the journey of historical artefacts with a modern design sensibility,” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, Creative Advisor at H&M.

"Fabrics in this collection, like recycled cashmere, the new velvet made from recycled polyester as well as the use of leftover ECONYL® from the previous collection.  In addition, organic silks and cottons are used.  The quality and textures not only complement the designs but highlight the fabric innovation that H&M is closely involved with. The velvet, for instance, has taken years to develop in order to create a high enough calibre that we were happy with,”  says Cecilia Brännsten, Environmental Sustainability Manager at H&M group.

In addition to women’s ready-to-wear, the range includes lingerie, shoes and accessories that balance drama with sophistication, allowing the modern pieces to be worn for party season, but also for more laidback yet luxurious-feeling days.

Key items include a sweeping full-length black coat with an oversized collar and striking waist-high side slits made from a recycled wool blend, and an all-over sequinned flower jacket made from recycled PET bottles, while the long printed dress with voluminous sleeves and deep v back in 100% organic silk will also turn heads.

Overall, the colour palette consists of black, off-white, dusty rose pink, mustard yellow, dusty blues and a touch of light grey.

Accessories include sculptural earrings made from recycled plastic, black sock booties made from recycled polyester and slingback stilettos with ribbons made from recycled polyester and TENCEL™, a large printed scarf with long fringes in a TENCEL™ blend, a black shoulder piece with recycled velvet circles attached to long ribbons and a black sequinned hoodie.