Presenting: Good News x H&M

“Bring the world a little bit of good news” has been the aim of footwear brand Good News ever since Ben Tattersall and Nia Jones founded it in London in 2016. Now they’re truly living up to their name with a new sneaker collection featuring innovative materials like Bananatex® — fibre from banana plants — and the vegan grape leather Vegea™. The forward-thinking collection is set to launch on 1 April.  

It all started with waste. During buying trips to footwear factories, fashion industry veterans Jones and Tattersall continuously heard about the amounts of waste that was sent straight to landfill. This became a wake-up call. The two friends and roommates were determined to change this. They turned their living room into a sample room and spent evenings working toward their long-term vision: a compassionate and sustainable world. Today, Good News is a footwear brand renowned for its playful, retro-inspired sneakers and steadfast commitment to sustainability

Nia Jones and Ben Tattersall, Good News founders and long-time friends.

"We wanted to team up with Good News because of their bold, positive expression and constant quest for circularity. Our common goal of change fueled us throughout the design process,” says David Söderlund, footwear designer at H&M. 

When invited to collaborate with H&M, Jones and Tattersall saw an opportunity to forge a union of purpose; a chance to become better at sustainability and circularity together. The design process kicked off with a phrase and shared conviction: “to complete the circle we need each other”. In the new collection, this notion is expressed through colourful half circles at the bottom of the soles of the shoes, representing both brands coming together to advance sustainability and circularity.  

“This collection is vibrant and so much fun. Sustainable materials have historically been seen as too hempy, too hippie. There’s a stigma attached to it. We wanted to create style and substance, pushing the boundaries to see what sneakers we can create through innovative materials,” says Ben Tattersall.  

The unisex collection features seven sneakers and one pair of sliders in Good News’ signature seventies-inspired colour palette.  They are all made from more sustainable elements, such as organic and recycled cotton; recycled rubber soles; renewable TENCEL™ Lyocell cellulose fibers, Vegea™ and Bananatex® uppers. There is also a kids’ collection with three of the sneaker styles. Each sneaker has been crafted with less waste and a lower environmental impact in mind. 

“Making this collection as sustainable as possible was important to us. We always tear up the rule book and do things a bit backwards. Rather than start with a trendy mood board or concept, we put the sustainable and innovative materials first. The available materials decide what we will create,” says Nia Jones. 

The duo describes the unisex collection as cool and fun. There’s a pair of colourful striped sliders, one of the absolute favourites of the founders, destined to be a summer must-have. You’ll find a low top sneaker crafted from TENCEL™ Lyocell cellulose fibers with a pattern inspired by Portuguese mosaic tiles.  Following the innovative theme, there’s also a classic black low top sneaker with Bananatex® uppers that will complement any outfit. 

When asked what they’re most proud of with the collaboration, Jones replies: “That we’ve managed to push one of the giants to look at every single component of a shoe. We’ve raised the bar together to bring about positive change.”  

The Good News x H&M unisex sneaker collection will be available on hm.com and in selected stores on 1 April.* The kids’ collection will be available on hm.com on 1 April. 

*The collection lands in selected stores in the US and Canada on 15 April.