Fashion

Close The Loop

September 2, 2015

In today’s world of fast fashion and endless new items, it’s all too easy to become a mindless consumer who shops till they quite literally drop. But recent years have taught us it’s important to think before we buy; where did it come from, what’s it made from and who made it are just a few of the questions we should all be asking ourselves more frequently. One of my main concerns around my shopping habits (and chosen career), is the sheer amount of stuff I seem to collect… And while we can give to charity and sell on, there’s only so many garments this earth can take before we start drowning in the weight of it all.

After researching and writing a big report on ethical and sustainable retailers while working in trend forecasting, H&M has been firmly on my radar as a brand working hard to do good while looking good. Case in point, is the new Close The Loop collection. I’ve always been a big believer in the concept of one person’s trash being another’s treasure, and H&M has taken this idea one step further. Made partly from recycled fibres gathered from second-hand clothes dropped off in H&M stores, the collection provides a solution to the current crisis of excess. And the best bit? The pieces are awesome and the kind of thing you’d normally find in the Trend section rather than what we might stereotypically associate with sustainability. Anyone can help contribute to the next collection too… Take a bag of unwanted clothes to any H&M store, they don’t even have to be H&M clothes, and they’ll be sorted, processed and recycled at the brand’s factory near Berlin before going into the next Close The Loop collection of denim pieces. Plus, this week, you two £5 vouchers per bag to spend in store as a thank you. Win win!

Now for the collection itself, and surprise surprise, my favourite piece has to be these flared dungarees… Combining my favourite bits of the seventies, these will probably be making an appearance at fashion week that’s creeping ever closer. Once it gets a bit colder, I’m thinking a ribbed turtleneck or tobacco-coloured cashmere sweater would do the trick.

I’d be lost without skinny, ribbed jeans. Boyfriend, vintage high-rise, flares will come and go but skinnies are eternal in my eyes. One of the best pairs of grey jeans I’ve ever had were from H&M and I wore them till then practically fell off me at university, so I was very happy to find an almost identical pair in this collection. Ideal rips and low-rise, I would have gravitated towards these whatever. And the fact they’re partly made from recylced materials is just a big bonus…

And it turns out, biker boots and Victoriana blouses get along like cookies and cream. Who knew.

If anyone out there is as obsessed with Friday Night Lights as me, you’ll get the Tim Riggins reference with this jacket…

My indigo denim jacket has become as much of a staple as my leather biker over the summer, and I think I’ve found one that’ll take me through the winter in this black, sheepskin-lined version. I’m wearing a size 12 as I wanted a boyish fit that could fit all those layers underneath later in the year. For now though, it’s the ideal balancing act with the knee-length skirt I thought I could never wear (small girl syndrome) and the new boots I was desperate too.

Ok come to think of it, maybe this is my favourite piece…