H&M: The Nature of Buying
The hottest trends are always plastered all over the internet and promoted by countless celebrities as well as social media influencers, but how many people are buying into fast-fashion without realizing it? In today’s society, keeping the world a greener place is an important thing. However, when it comes to clothing, not too many people care to educate themselves. A company will typically paint a picture of what they want you to see. Is seeing truly believing?
Source: Morning Brew
Source: Weaveable
H&M is a globally well-known brand. The Social Grabber describes the brand as creating a “long-lasting positive change and improve living conditions by investing in people, communities, and innovative ideas.”
The site also implies, H&M wanted “to lead the change towards circular and renewable fashion while being fair and equal company.” Unfortunately, H&M is a part of the category of fast-fashion. The brand wants to create quick, trendy, and new styles; sadly, this process commonly causes a negative effect on the environment and causes it to pay the ultimate price. Fast-fashion incorporates the use of massive amounts of water, energy, emission of greenhouse gases, and non-renewable sources.
Since the late ‘90s and early 2000s, H&M has always been bashed for being a fast-fashion brand. They often redirected consumers’ attention to exciting collaborations seen below. Many of these collaborations displayed limited edition collections that were sold out in minutes, setting a pattern for future collaborations.
Source: Pinterest
As of 2020, H&M made its former sustainability chief Helena Helmersson their new CEO. Helmersson plans to attempt to push for sustainability in H&M in the hope that it will flourish by 2030. Globe Newswire notes, “H&M Conscious’ growth strategy is focused on introducing a new line of clothing collection manufactured from sustainable materials to reduce its carbon footprint on the environment and increase its business presence in the sustainable or ethical fashion apparel market.”
Recently, H&M announced that they plan to partner up with Lee Jeans to create a sustainable denim line that is 100% cotton. Lee x H&M is a collaboration that wants to be known for the next generation of sustainable denim.
Source: Instagram
H&M’s new collaboration revolves around the concept of 100% cotton used in their denim. According to Oxfam, the use of denim for the basic jeans and t-shirt look “may have used way more than its fair share of precious water to manufacture. From growing the cotton to the dyeing process, it can take an estimated 20,000 liters of water to make just one pair of jeans and one t-shirt.”
Shopping can be many people’s guilty pleasure. Don’t blame yourself when falling into the traps of the many fashion houses that claim to be “sustainable.” The critical take-away is to be more aware of your buying habits and know that there are brands trying to make a difference.
Here are a few places you can shop that is sustainable to our planet: