Your bundle of joy is developing every day, and there are always new elements of parenthood to discover. Like understanding baby clothes, for example. So, with this in mind, H&M presents its newborn and baby ranges, featuring garments that focus on comfort, fit, sustainability, softness and “room to grow” designs. The collection launches worldwide in stores and online at the website kw.hm.com starting April 2021 exploring poignant moments between baby and parent — and the challenges they may face — with love, warmth and care.
The newborn range includes bodysuits, leggings, rompers, overalls, dresses, hats, socks and blankets in white shades, mélange greys, beige, dusky pinks, soft blues and browns, sage green and warm yellow tones. Prints feature stripes, dots, leopard spots, animal and rainbow graphics, florals and palm trees. All the cotton in the ranges is organic, recycled or sourced through the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), with the majority of the newborn garments made from organic cotton that has been certified by the Organic Content Standard or the Global Organic Textile Standard. On the sustainability front, H&M are also introducing new sustainably made hangers for baby clothes across our stores globally in the summer. This change alone will reduce emissions by around 13,000 tons of CO2 per year and use 2,000 less tons of fossil-based plastic per year. “There are so many moments for parents to cherish, and we hope that these collections can at least take the guesswork out of dressing their little one. We also realize that babies outgrow their clothes quickly, so we have been keen to take more steps towards achieving a prolonged use. Along with the ‘room to grow’ details that prolong length of wear, we also encourage parents to pass on the outgrown pieces to siblings or other parents — or even join a swap shop! — or they can always bring the clothes to our in-store Garment Collecting boxes for recycling,” says Sofia Löfstedt, H&M’s Head of Kidswear Design. Sofia tells us more about herself and the collection in the following interview:
Hi Sofia, tell us more about your role at H&M as head of kidswear design.
In my role I do a lot of cross functional work, meaning that I collaborate a lot with all kinds of fantastic colleagues within in our big H&M family, almost everything we achieve at H&M is because of great teamwork and collaborations. I work extra close to the designers of course, we create trends, styling for campaigns etc. We have an amazing creative design team, knowing everything about our baby and young customers.
How has the journey been for you since your involvement in the kid’s division?
I love working with the kids and baby customers, it’s really fun and they engage you in a very special way. Having kids, myself, I know that clothes for kids and babies can be both fun but also challenging with all the needs in different stages. Its feels great that we can be a part of that journey!
What is special about the new newborn and baby ranges at H&M? How is this collection sustainable?
We have a fantastic wide baby collection, with everything from the perfect pajama to more dressed up styles for a special occasion. Everything is designed with the needs of the baby in mind. When it comes to sustainability, all cotton in our baby assortment is sustainably sourced, organic, recycled or sourced through the Better Cotton Initiative, also called BCI cotton, but the majority of our newborn garments are made from organic cotton. We also urge our customers to hand over the clothes to friends or maybe save them for siblings, when their babies out grow them, our clothes are durable to last for many children. We have also “room to grow” features on some styles, with, for example, an extra row of buttons or cuffs to fold down when your baby grows, so you can use the garment a bit longer- babies tend to grow very fast!
What do designers who envision clothes for babies and newborns need to keep in mind that maybe designers who envision garments for adults don’t have to worry about?
A lot of things actually! You need to know the specific needs for a garment developed for babies- so the clothes are easy to use and are soft and comfy for the baby, ex. pay attention to seams, buttons etc. At H&M we also have very high standards when it comes to children’s safety, so our customers can feel truly safe when shopping for their little ones.
Newborn and baby ranges need to be developed with growth in mind. How is H&M achieving this with the new ranges available?
The room to grow designs is a great example for that. The room to grow design for babies 0-9 months include an additional row of press buttons, stretchy feet, double-folded arms, double-folded waistbands and double-folded legs so the garment can be made longer in all directions. This means the length of wear can be prolonged as the baby grows and give a longer life span. We also want to encourage parents to gently wash garments to prolong their lifespan, pass on the clothes to siblings or other parents when outgrown, start or join a swap shop or bring in old pieces to our Garment Collecting boxes available in store for recycling.
What are the key design features of this new range?
I really love the new soft warm beautiful neutrals, especially with the rib textures, I also love our cute graphics, we have so talented designers drawing our beautiful prints.
Do you have any favorite pieces from this collection? If so, what are they?
It’s really hard to choose, but I must say that the “room to grow” styles are a special favorite of mine, I think its brilliant!
If it could be resized for adults, which baby outfit would you most like to live in?
Haha, that’ so funny! Well, I think I would go for a cozy PJ, you could wear like a super comfy onesie now adays when you spend so much time in your home.
The collection will be available in April in H&M stores, online at kw.hm.com and on the H&M MENA app with prices starting from KD 2.500. Follow H&M on Instagram @hm.
