H&M’s New Collection, Made Entirely From Waste, Is Finally Available To Shop

One person's trash is another's treasure, so goes the old adage. But H&M has taken this to brand new heights with its latest Conscious collection, made entirely from waste. Not that you'd know it – it's one of the most beautiful offerings yet, with dreamy dresses and sublime separates you're going to want to add to basket.

Each piece is made from a sustainably-sourced material that is itself made from waste, including one that transforms food crop waste into a natural fibre and another that's made from sustainably sourced wood pulp.

'For autumn/winter 20, we wanted to be trailblazers,' says Ann-Sofie Johansson, creative advisor at H&M. 'Speaking through beauty, waste can be the future of sustainable fashion.'

There are incredible gowns in jewel-coloured taffeta, mini dresses which look as if they're made entirely of flowers and a textured tuxedo you'll wear forever that's made from Naia™ Renew, a fibre made from sustainably-sourced wood pulp and recycled waste plastics, blended with silk. Launched today, if previous Conscious collections are anything to go by, this is guaranteed to be a sell-out.

There are accessories, too, like the heeled mules (which come with a detachable sock lining to make them into boots) made from Vegea – a vegan leather made partly from the by-products of winemaking, while recycled metals provide the materials for necklaces and earrings.

Even H&M's campaign star has her own environmental credentials. The face of the new Conscious collection is Zinnia Kumar, an Australian model who also happens to be a published scientist in human evolutionary biology and ecology, as well as a sustainability advocate. 'If we buy more sustainable products, then demand will rise, and unsustainable clothing will go out of fashion,' said Kumar toVogue____.

Of course, one Conscious collection does not a sustainable fashion brand make but, in the wider context of the high street, H&M is becoming one of the most transparent retailers year-on-year. When Fashion Revolution publishes its annual Fashion Transparency Index, H&M is always one of the top scorers, revealing more information about its supply chains and manufacturing processes than many of its peers.

There's a long way to go but, as Kumar said, demand for more sustainable products will help create a better future for us all.