H&M 2016 Conscious Collection Inspired by Louvre Archives

Garments from H& M Conscious 2016 Collection

Art lovers and vintage fashionistas will fall in love with H&M”s next Conscious Collection.   Recycled materials have never looked this good.  For the Spring 2016 Conscious Collection the H&M design team has delved into the Louvre museum’s collections of archival fashions and picked up key pieces from the last three centuries of haute couture. The result is a contemporary and artistic collection that is simply amazing! The designs are truly unique and sure to sell-out. Book marke this one and get your shopping list ready.   The collection will be available in approximately 180 stores worldwide and online starting April 7, 2016.  As with previous collections, quantities will be limited and it will be sold in a only a few stores.

Top and wide midi skirt with a pleated waistline. Constructed in a jacquard fabric made from organic silk with a lace intarsia made from Tencel.

“Working with innovative sustainable materials and ornate embellishment, the collection is a layering of references, shapes and textures topped off by intensely decorative accessories and deco-inspired bijoux,” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, Creative Advisor at H&M.

One of my favorites: the short pink babydoll dress from the H&M Conscious Collection.

The fluid and easy silhouette revolves around languid dresses, arty kaftans and sculpted skirts. Prints add a dash of surprise, turning dresses into trompe l’oeil paintings or sculptures.

A long sleeveless dress with plunging V neckline made from organic silk, featuring a striking placement print of Sandro Botticelli’s “La Primavera”.

A long ball gown with a deep neckline features a marble draping print; a liquid dress is adorned with a slice of Botticelli’s Three Graces. Short dresses and painter blouses ooze nonchalant sophistication, creating an electric and eclectic short-circuit between present and past.

Short, crewneck glittery dress with long sleeves features an all over Gustave Moreau homage print. The dress is made of a mix of Tencel and organic silk.

“One of my favourite pieces from the collection is the mini asymmetric dress that was inspired by a painting by Gustave Moreau. I love the mix of a conscious, sustainable fabric and an old painting. It’s great to be able to have sustainable clothes that still look red carpet-ready,” says Julia Restoin Roitfeld, the face of the campaign.

H&M Short Print Dress made from recycled materials.

Materials include organic silk, hemp, recycled linen and Tencel® blends as well as new innovative materials such as beads and rhinestones made from recycled glass and Denimite − a material made out of recycled worn-out denim, which H&M is the first fashion company to use.

H&M Conscious Collection Victorian styled Wedding Dress

Also new for this season’s launch of Conscious Exclusive are three wedding dresses − a feast of lightness and embellishment materialised in dreamy, draped lines, for the bride wanting to be as beautifully dressed as she is conscious.

On my shopping list: a high waisted, front opening midi skirt with low-slung patch pockets made from recycled polyester. Art Deco inspired glass bead embroideries made from recycled glass.

I love this collection with it’s vintage styles.  Previous Conscious Collections have been sized small like European sizing, and only go out to EUR size 42/US size 12.  Pricing ranges from 59.99 EUR to 499 EUR.  Many of these pieces are more like haute couture than H&M apparel.

H&M will be the exclusive sponsor of the upcoming exhibition “Fashion Forward – 300 years of Fashion” at Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Pamela Golbin is the Chief Curator of the exhibition.  If you’re in Europe, put this exhibition on your list of things to do, as it promises to be very special.