H&M news and archive

H&M names Maisie Williams as global sustainability ambassador

Retail chain H&M has named actor Maisie Williams as its global sustainability ambassador to “help lead a worldwide initiative towards a more sustainable fashion future”. In a statement, H&M said that Williams would be joining the brand throughout the year to drive change in fashion in the virtual world and real life. The retailer said it hopes...

Apr 12, 2021

Fashion

H&M collaborates with Liya Kebede's lemlem

H&M has collaborated with model Liya Kebede’s lemlem for a women’s collection focused on sustainable materials. With mid-spring bringing warmer weather and summer approaching, the collection is heavy on caftans and beachwear pieces. For this collaboration, traditional handwoven materials often found in lemlem’s pieces are translated into...

Apr 8, 2021

Fashion

Diane von Furstenberg's interior collection for H&M Home launches

H&M Home interior collection with Belgian fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg is launching April 16. The collection consists of adventurous prints that von Furstenberg is renowned for, such as zebra and leopard, a vibrant lip pattern, and the designer’s signature abstract lettering. The Swedish retailer said the collaboration consists of a...

Apr 7, 2021

Fashion

The Xinjiang cotton controversy has taken to the catwalk

The Xinjiang cotton-gate impasse has taken another turn, this time on the catwalk, as Chinese designers are pledging its use in their collections. At the end of China Fashion Week in March, Chinese brand Sun-Bird’s creative director Zhou Li took a bow at the end of her show – demonstratively holding a bouquet of cotton plants. Solidarity with...

Apr 7, 2021

Business

H&M to lay off more than 1,000 employees in Spain

Swedish fashion giant H&M is to lay off more than 1,000 staff in Spain who are currently on furlough due to the pandemic, the Workers' Commission (CCOO) union said Tuesday. The fashion chain was not immediately available to confirm the information. A CCOO statement said the fashion brand had indicated it was "going to begin redundancy...

Apr 6, 2021

Business

H&M and PVH supply chains could be hit by Suez blockage

When the Ever Given ship was refloated at the end of March its 6-day delay caused a backlog of 370 ships according to Reuters. The congestion will have a rolling effect on supply chains, which may be felt for months to come. Insights from S&P Global suggest U.S. East Coast imports from western India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the Middle East are...

Apr 6, 2021

Fashion

H&M launches sustainability concept Innovation Stories

H&M has introduced a new concept, Innovation Stories, which debuts multiple collection launches throughout 2021. Each drop is centered around sustainability processes. The first launch is “Science Story”. H&M has been shifting its focus toward more sustainable fashion in line with the fashion industry’s overall goals to become more...

Apr 2, 2021

Business

H&M confirms ‘long-term commitment’ to China amid boycott

H&M has emphasised its ‘long-term commitment’ to China amid a boycott launched against the Swedish fashion giant after it pledged to stop sourcing cotton from Xinjiang over reports of slave labour. “China is a very important market to us and our long-term commitment to the country remains strong,” H&M said Wednesday. It comes following the...

Mar 31, 2021

Management

H&M swings to Q1 loss, net sales down 21 percent

Swedish fashion giant H&M swung to a loss in the first quarter of the year as it continued to feel the impact of the pandemic. The company reported a loss after tax of 1.07 billion Swedish kronor in the three months to February 28, compared to a profit of 1.93 billion kronor a year earlier. It came as H&M’s net sales dropped 21 percent in local...

Mar 31, 2021

Fashion

H&M color collection focuses on sustainable dyeing techniques

For H&M’s latest installment of its Innovation Stories capsule collections, the brand plays with pops of colors for spring. ‘Colour Story’ focuses on more sustainable methods of working with color by using new dyeing and printing processes and techniques that have less impact on the environment. Through biotechnology, plant-based pigments, and...

Mar 29, 2021

Culture

Western brands face China backlash over political statements

Nike was the recipient of Chinese backlash after the sporting goods giant stated it does not use cotton from China’s Xinjiang region, where currently an international human rights crisis is ensuing with the alleged forced labour camps of the Uyghur people. On Weibo, China’s most popular social media channel, a retaliation against Nike began when...

Mar 25, 2021

Business

H&M ban of Xinjiang cotton under criticism in China

Swedish clothing giant H&M's decision to no longer source cotton from China's Xinjiang region is drawing a backlash as the Asian country adopts an increasingly assertive stance against accusations of human rights violations. The fashion retailer's products had vanished from Chinese tech titan Alibaba's e-commerce platform Taobao on Wednesday,...

Mar 24, 2021