PLASTIC FANTASTIC
The topics of climate change and the impact that humans and their lifestyle have on the environment are some the most important issues facing civilisation as we know it today. Despite this, there are still many consumers that are turned off by environmentally friendly fashion. Even Swedish super-brand H&M still struggles with the stigma of ´dull recycled cardboard thoughts´ that accompany the category of reclaimed and eco-friendly clothing. However the company’s lodestar ´Conscious Exclusive Collections´ are trying to change that. Last year, their look book line-up skimmed on everything from 18th century historical fashion to Art Deco. However, it was during this time that they put a sartorial spin on a very special fabric – Bionic Yarn.
Developed by Tyson Toussant, Bionic Yarn is manufactured from revived plastic that has been sourced from rivers and coastlines (plastic bottles, take-away containers and grocery bags). The yarn is unlike other plastic based fabrics, it’s ultra-soft and can adjust to almost anything you want to manufacture; from jeans to evening dresses, and as can be noted from the key piece in the Conscious Exclusive Collection – a pleated, flowing blush colour gown complete with swirling ruffles and a billowing skirt – Ideal for the ultimate red carpet moment.
¨ Buy less. Choose well. Make it last. Quality, not quantity. Everybody’s buying far too many clothes.¨ – Charles Daniel McDonald
Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M’s creative advisor quoted; “You can’t believe the Bionic dress is made from old plastic bottles. It’s a precious piece that you can wear and cherish and save in your wardrobe. With the Conscious Exclusive Collections, we always try to find a new fabric or new technique. It’s where we try to push the boundaries of what’s possible with sustainable fabrics and show how beautiful the garments can be.” The face of H&M´s latest ecological enterprise is none other than Russian philanthropist and super-model Natalia Vodianova, who showcases the dress in their international spring/summer´17 campaign.
As sustainability is an all-encompassing philosophy, H&M´s notion goes above and beyond that of the Bionic Yarn production. A legion of other factors such as production processes, waste reduction and the human /user impact are also given high level consideration. H&M consider that the use of recycled materials in the future can make a considerable difference within fashion sustainability.
“I think there’s the potential for using more Bionic Yarn in future collections,” Johansson explained. “The Conscious Collections are a great example of how we can try out new, innovative materials and later on we can scale them in our normal collections. For instance, we started using Tencel in a Conscious Collection years ago, and now we’re one of the biggest users of Tencel in the world.”
Prepare to hear more about the Bionic Yarn collection over the coming months in the run up to Conscious Exclusive Collections launch on 20th April when the collection will the stores, nationwide.
Article: Charles Daniel McDonald
Photography: H&M
