Conscious Exclusive A/W20

This has been a year unlike any other, so instead of looking to the past for inspiration we were inspired by the creativity that emerges from appreciating the value of things around us. We started by looking at that which often gets overlooked. We asked ourselves: Can we wear trash? Can waste be beautiful? And, quickly fell in love with the poetry of possibility. That's why every piece in the Conscious Exclusive A/W20 collection is made from waste.

“For A/W20, we really wanted to be trailblazers – pushing the limits of creativity and sustainable fashion – by focusing on waste. As a result, the pieces in this collection are crafted from truly amazing materials produced from waste. Working with this kind of transformation and being able to speak to our customers through beauty, we hope that waste can be part of the future of sustainable fashion,” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, creative advisor at H&M. 

Conscious Exclusive is an incubator for new materials and innovations that are eventually used in H&M's main collections. Innovations in recycling and reuse mean that we can now turn waste into something beautiful. A unique textile-to-textile recycling process enables us to close the loop by turning textiles that would have been thrown away into high quality polyester. This year two new fabrics make their H&M debut: Hemp Biofibre™, made from oilseed hemp crop waste, and Naia™ Renew, a cellulosic fibre sourced from circular content. The A/W20 collection also includes fabrics made from post-consumer carpet fibre, post-industrial plastic packaging and PET bottles. Are you in love with the mini dress that looks like a cloud of flowers? It’s made from closed-loop polyester!  

Dramatic volume, softly structured shapes and glamorous ruffles combine with an edgy undertone to create a darkly poetic look and feel that is perfect for the holiday season. Key womenswear pieces, made from recycled polyester, include a yellow off-the-shoulder floral print dress with a voluminous ruffle along the chest, a black taffeta-like mini-dress with statement puff sleeves and a forest green body-con  cocktail dress with a ruched bodice and asymmetrical puff shoulder. 

The collection also has an emphasis on versatile separates that can be dressed up or down. Think: a demure black cropped blazer and wide leg trousers made from Naia™ Renew that's been blended with silk. Bold choker necklaces and earrings in a variety of recycled metals provide a rebellious contrast to the poetic clothing. 

This season, menswear makes a return to Conscious Exclusive. One of the key menswear pieces is a black double-breasted recycled polyester, tencel and wool blend tuxedo with detachable flower embellishment. Two other highlights of the collection are a yellow floral jacquard workwear jacket made from recycled polyester and a pair of trousers made from oilseed hemp crop waste.

H&M Conscious Exclusive A/W20 launches from 1 December.