H&M favours plant-based leather and recycled materials for latest ‘Innovation Story’

Fast fashion retailer H&M has taken another step towards its commitment to include more sustainable fashion in its offering.

For the fifth edition of its ‘Innovation Stories’, the retailer is centering its theme around the concept of love, with a collection that it said “investigates our passionate relationship with clothes”.

Entitled the Cherish Waste Collection, the new line incorporates repurposed, recycled and low-impact materials into its production, with many pieces utilising recycled garments, ocean-bound plastic and other waste materials, the retailer said in a release.

Concept designer at H&M, Ella Soccorsi, said on the collection: “The design team was talking about who we become when we fall in love - and how our clothes become a part of the love story. So, we created a collection about love and its many guises: romantic, tough, passionate, non-binary and platonic.

Soccorsi added: “We are passionate about circularity, so most of the pieces have labels inside to encourage customers to write their names and a personal message when it is time to pass them on.”

A selection of products in the collection have been made using Naia Renew, a sustainable fibre, including a shirt and trouser combination, and Mirum, a plant-based leather the retailer has implemented into a number of accessories.

Additionally, H&M also used the biomaterial, AirCarbon, and recycled polyester by Repreve.