We’re all ready for some lighthearted whimsy, especially where our wardrobes are concerned. Every year as Spring rolls around, we’re ready to replace our dark and heavy coats and cardigans with colorful light and airy fabrics. H&M really delivered with their Spring 2021 collection this year.
The brand is celebrating the wonder of a flower-filled meadow, inspired by the wild beauty of nature but also the diversity and freedom it represents. The whole capsule collection is proudly built around artisanship with floral prints created by the H&M print design team.
The collection also hints at a hope for the preservation of handicraft and desire for a more sustainable fashion future. Dresses and matching tops and skirts are dreamy and effortless, with expressive and feminine details plus contemporary voluminous cuts that give an edgy feel.
The floral prints have been created by H&M’s in-house print designers, who also star in the accompanying campaign – Abigail Morris, Kavita
Ravaliya, Holly Watts and Florentin Bodet. The quartet wandered through luscious meadows, picking their favorite wildflowers and then went about translating them into repeat floral prints, hand painting the flowers in their truest form: windswept, scattered, and untamed. The results are perfect summer dresses capturing the intricacies of nature, but also conveying its feeling of positivity and openness.
Sustainability and environment conscious design are at the heart of the collection. The majority of the garments are made of 100% organic cotton or a mix of organic cotton and linen. H&M group is the world’s largest organic cotton because it is traceable and grown according to a strict standard and constantly checked by an independent certification body. Organic cotton is grown without artificial pesticides and fertilizers and contains no genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Some items are also made from recycled polyester which is made from plastic waste such as old PET bottles, plastic bags, shampoo bottles, or from textile waste such as old polyester fabrics or cut-offs from production. This helps clean up our planet as it puts oil- based waste, like old PET bottles, to good use. H&M group is also one of the world’s biggest users of recycled polyester.
These changes and actions are helping reduce waste and H&M aim to increase the use of recycled polyester every year. In 2019 they used the equivalent of nearly 537 million PET bottles (2018: 325 million; 2017: 100 million) of recycled polyester.
Each piece in the capsule collection has an alluring blend of feminine and contemporary elements and an exclusive floral print. Also taking inspiration from the shapes and silhouettes of flowers, maxi-dresses feature smocking, petal-like wraparound details and balloon sleeves.
Sleeveless dresses showcase delicate ruffles or spaghetti straps, while sweet tube tops and skirts have easy-to-wear elasticated waistbands, carefree like a beautiful spring day. Other design details include keyhole cut-outs, thigh- high slits and statement sleeves, all with a modern edge.
The overall color palette consists of vintage off-white, pale mint green and pale yellow. Key accessories include a straw hat and a scarf in the same floral print as the playsuit in the collection.
We asked the design team about their process, the designs and the collection to learn more.
This collection arrives based on the vision of H&M’s print design team. What was it like to collaborate as a team for this collection?
Florentin Bodet: For me, besides the intricate and sensitive nature of flowers we depicted in the prints, the beauty of this collection comes from the four of us working together throughout the entire process. It was so much fun and powerful. We also all believe in the power of a print – they lift people’s moods and a great way to express your distinctive personality.
What was your creative process?
Holly Watts: For this particular project we wanted to portray the wildflowers in their truest form, so it felt important to immerse ourselves in nature. We took our sketchbooks and paints to a local biodynamic garden in Stockholm, Rosendals Trädgård, and spent time meticulously painting from real life. By handpainting the designs, it adds a personal and expressive touch to the prints. When we felt we had enough material to work with, we collaborated with the dresses team on ideas for placements and scales, before composing our paintings into prints suitable for the garments.
The collection also hints at a hope for the preservation of handicraft and desire for a more sustainable fashion future. How does this vision translate into the collection?
Abigail Morris: Last year, so many of us felt the overwhelming desire to be outside, to reconnect with nature and to feel a little bit of calm amongst the chaos that was happening around us. We were inspired by wildflowers and meadows and wanted to reflect their natural beauty within our designs, so we hand-painted the flowers first and kept the layouts quite organic to give the feeling of being windswept and scattered. It was also important that the materials were all conscious to mirror this sensibility.
H&M’s print design team also star in the collection’s awareness campaign. How does it feel to be able to physically represent your work? How would you describe the campaign experience?
Kavita Ravaliya: The collection has been a true representation of teamwork, reconnecting with nature and artistry. It has been a fantastic opportunity for us designers to simply slow down, be outside and appreciate nature’s beauty. To be part of the campaign is truly humbling and makes me proud! But the hand painted artwork is really the force behind the collection and being able to connect our vision and art with people around the world is an incredibly special moment.
Finally, H&M aims to create a more circular business cycle by repurposing garments. How is this portrayed in this collection?
Kavita Ravaliya: Sustainability was always a key element in the project. But it’s also about how each print and dress silhouette is unique and individual – enabling the customer to find something to connect with, which in my mind includes thinking about circularity in fashion.
The collection will be available from April 8, in selected stores and online at kw.hm.com, the H&M MENA App with prices starting from KD 3.990.
