The fashion giant launched H&M Innovation Stories last year, showcasing a series of themed collections highlighting more sustainable materials, technologies, and production processes. This week sees the launch of the latest one, a ready-to-wear collection plus a digital line, designed and crafted together with London-based digital atelier and thinktank Institute of Digital Fashion. The latter consists of five augmented reality filters, accessible via H&M’s app, where an AR fashion lens powered by Snap enables virtual try-on, bringing the physical and digital worlds together to let customers show their style both IRL and online.
— It’s a digital collection that pushes the boundaries of fashion as we know it, breaking free of physical restraints to embrace pure creativity. These digital garments are for every body, extending beyond seasons, beyond gender and beyond realities, and helping us to consider the planet, says Leanne Elliott Young and Cattytay, co-founders of the Institute of Digital Fashion.
The ready-to-wear collection focuses on circularity. Several pieces feature recycled polyester fibres made entirely out of old garments and textile waste collected in H&M’s own stores. One form-fitting dress in the collection has been made using a zero-waste pattern-cutting process. Innovative materials include REPREVE Our Ocean — recycled polyester made from ocean-bound plastic bottles — and 100% recycled sequins made from plastic-bottle waste.
— The increasingly virtual dimension of fashion creates exciting future opportunities for H&M, allowing us to create vibrant, bold and daring virtual counterparts to our physical collections, Ann-Sofie Johansson, creative advisor at H&M, comments.
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