Why you want the Conscious Collection from H&M

Yesterday my schedule was blocked for four hours by our friends from H&M. There was a lunch and lectures on the agenda with as a treat... the first shopping of the H&M Conscious Collection. With 20% discount, no less.

Forgive me for occasionally diverting my gaze to the mannequins on the right during the substantive words. Should I go for the kimono or the jacket with the open cape sleeves or just the skirt that Liesbeth wore during our Amayzine Awards?

But then I felt the stern gaze of the woman from Solidaridad who spoke about the polluting effects of the clothing industry and child labor. That there are rivers in Bangladesh that for days have the color of a fashion item that has been dyed that day, for example. And that there are people who work twelve hours a day without drinking a sip of water. Unimaginable.

H&M sees it as its task to embrace sustainability and strive for better conditions in factories, no child labor, and environmentally friendly production techniques. That’s why they work with Solidaridad and Unicef.

According to the lady from Solidaridad, we should actually buy less (that was probably after my greedy, lustful gaze towards the full racks that were waiting for me) but luckily the lady from H&M sustainability said that you can buy quite a lot, but that it’s a very good idea to return your clothes afterwards so they can recycle them.

“No, that dress is not for you.”

H&M recycles a lot. The beads on the dresses from this collection are for example made from recycled shampoo bottles, how good. What also struck me was that there are only a few countries that do not sign the Unicef convention on the rights of children. Do you know which country refuses, for example? The United States of fucking America. There are still states where the death penalty applies to children and well, that is of course not allowed by Unicef. There is still a lot of work to be done for these people, in short.

After the lectures, shopping took place. I dove into the fitting room with my friend Cara, fashion chief of Grazia, because she is the sweetest and it’s always great to shop with a stylist. “Shall I get a size smaller?” “No, that dress is not for you.” When I walked past the people from Solidaridad with my arms loaded, I felt a bit caught and squeaked out a cowardly “It’s also for people from the editorial team, you know.”.

But I promised to help spread their wise words to the world. Because it is up to us, after all.