Consider This Before Your Spring Shopping Spree
With the weather finally starting to warm up after months of a tundra-like existence, many are in a hurry to shed their winter layers and leave looking like a burnt marshmallow behind. Maybe even partaking in a little wardrobe overhaul is in order. If a shopping spree is in your near future, you might be asking yourself how you can save.
Although you’re probably thinking money, I’m talking about the planet. It’s no secret that the fashion industry has a huge carbon footprint, contributes to tons of waste sent to landfills, and causes dangerous chemicals to be released into the oceans. Clearly, spring cleaning comes with a hefty price tag in more ways than one.
That is where sustainable fashion comes in. Sustainable fashion is a practice that involves creating and purchasing clothes in a more environmentally conscious method. But if there’s an eco-friendly option, why is the fashion industry still one of the biggest polluters? Simply put, eco-friendly fashion isn’t the most attainable standard to hold one’s closet to. Many of the tenets of sustainable fashion include investing in timeless pieces and forgoing trending fast fashion. This can be a lot to ask of someone who follows fashion and enjoys staying up-to-date on trends.
This is why H&M’s new spring collection is so exciting. First of all, H&M is one of the few mass retailers trying to embrace sustainable practices. Fully sustainable brands play an important role in reducing the fashion industry’s environmental impact, but it takes huge retailers like H&M changing their practices to really cut down on the waste and harm done to the planet by clothing production and consumerism. H&M has been taking steps towards being more sustainable with their Conscious line for some time now, but the Spring 2019 line is a huge step. The new line features pieces all made from plant-based materials such as pineapple leather and orange fiber.
Creative Advisor Ann-Sofie Johansson said in a press release “We’re thrilled to introduce new plant-based sustainable materials to create high-performing, beautiful, and fashionable pieces that are statement-making yet so easy to wear.”
This line speaks to H&M’s long-term goal of using 100% recycled or sustainably sourced materials by 2030. It’s also noteworthy to see a fast fashion brand making an effort to both cater to trends such as pieces featuring animal prints, which have been huge this season, and produce products that are safe for the environment. PSA: The plastic in all those spandex neon green pieces we’ve been wearing contributes to the evergrowing microplastics problem in our oceans!
Although H&M has done a lot of things right with this line, there is one thing left to be desired: a more affordable price tag. These sustainable pieces cost significantly more than pieces in H&M’s other lines – many costing around $100. The high price tag that comes with a sustainable garment is a significant limiting factor to this movement, as it makes it inaccessible to people who would otherwise participate.
Still, a retailer like H&M investing in sustainable practices could be part of the answer to our environmental crisis. As sustainable fashion picks up steam and being environmentally conscious becomes the industry standard, costs will hopefully be lowered. But as of right now, H&M appears to be setting that precedent for its competitors.
Image via H&M
Image via H&M
Image via H&M
Graphics via Jessica Paridis. Images via H&M