Upcycling, dancing, fishing. The features of H&M — an unexpectedly strange clothing store

H&M — that very story

H&M started out... from a hunting and fishing store. Initially, it had nothing to do with the fashion industry.

It all began in 1946, when Erling Persson decided to open his own women's clothing store in the city of Västerås, Sweden. He gave it the symbolic name Hennes, which translates from Swedish as “hers.” Sales were going well, and a few years later Persson decided to expand production. That was when he turned his attention to a hunting and fishing clothing store that was barely hanging on — Mauritz Widforss.

The stores merged and began selling men's and women's clothing. That was when the Hennes and Mauritz store was born, today known as H&M.

H&M — amazing facts

• Despite the fact that the company began in Sweden, the largest number of H&M stores is in the USA.
• According to company tradition, when a new store opens, employees perform a choreographed dance for the press and shoppers. For example, when one store opened in Australia in 2015, more than 100 employees performed a lively “fiesta” for the waiting customers.
  
• H&M can do more than just dance — they can introduce a new product in stores in just two weeks!
• Some retailers, such as GAP, need up to six months to develop and produce new styles, but for H&M it takes only two weeks.
• At its headquarters in Stockholm, H&M has more than a hundred designers who follow fashion trends and then turn them into new products. Suppliers around the world help get the product into stores in less than a month. This probably explains why new clothing appears in the store every time. 
• H&M owns a number of other stores, including the premium brand COS. Which sells more expensive products at a higher price. COS stands for “Collection of Style.” H&M also owns the brands Weekday, H&M Home and Arket.
  
• At one time, H&M had quite a few significant collaborations. One of the most outstanding is Timeless Maximalism by Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz. Her design is inspired by color and nature. The brand’s clothing has been worn by other famous women — Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, Alexa Chung, Jessica Biel, Lady Gaga .

Innovative waste recycling by H&M

The fashion industry is heavily dependent on natural resources, and this is one of the reasons why H&M Group has set clear goals: “our mission is to use only recycled or other sustainably sourced materials by 2030.” We are talking about thousands of tons of old clothes regularly thrown away with household waste.

Like Levi’s, H&M is diligently working on recycling and reuse. And they offer their customers the opportunity to leave their old clothes and unwanted textiles at many H&M Group stores.

Recycling and H&M

In 2019, H&M Group collected about 29 000 tons of textiles for reuse and recycling. That's about 145 million T-shirts!

Boxes have long since appeared in American stores where you can drop off old unwanted clothes. Then a whole revival process begins: H&M's partners collect the boxes, sort them into three categories, and then send them for recycling.

For every kilogram of fabric that H&M collects in the region, €0,02 is donated to a local charitable organization.

Upcycling at H&M

Some H&M Group brands have launched initiatives for clothing recycling. One such example is the Weekday Re-Made denim collection. COS (an H&M partner) also organized a similar project. They produce clothing made from restored or returned items that have been carefully repaired and cleaned. These are clothes being given a second life: they can be recycled and sold again. The project came to life under the name Looop, and this is how it works:

• it all begins with spraying ozone onto your favorite clothes to remove all microorganisms.
• then your clothes are shredded into small clumps of fabric fibers.
• the shredded clumps are filtered to remove dust, and virgin fibers are added for strength.
• the fiber blend is straightened into a fibrous web and then stretched into ribbons.
• ribbons made of several fibers are combined so that everything runs the same and evenly.
• the ribbons are spun, creating a single yarn thread.
• single yarn threads are folded in half and twisted to increase their strength.
• finally, Looop knits new H&M models from the recycled yarn.
• you can start wearing the finished blouse, and when it wears out, the cycle starts again.

By the way, here you can see exactly how the recycling project works.

What can you buy on HM.com?

The brand's prices really are very low, and it does not affect the quality. But let's find out what's trending right now!

• Ribbed knit. Knee socks, sweaters, suits, and even underwear. Comfortable, simple, and stylish. This kind of cute turtleneck in nude color will cost only $25 today.Long dress in ribbed knit and also for $25. Soft snow-white pants, which go best with a cardigan or an oversized sweater.
  
• Cardigans.A loose cardigan with large buttons, a neckline, and voluminous sleeves, available in several colors — $15. Or a cropped cardigan that will go well with culotte jeans — $17.
  
• Bodysuits. And by the way, they also come in ribbed knit! But smooth ones are trending too. With cutouts and high necks. They look good with everything: leather or denim, skirts or pants. In ribbed knit with a cutout for $18. High neck — $10.
• Faux leather. Especially skirts and dresses. Everyone has seen and everyone knows ZARA leather skirts, but H&M has them too and they are often cheaper. Leather pants for $25 — they look awesome. Leather skirt for $20, with a cropped cardigan or with a blouse.
  
• Tops. Which can be found even for $2. A very cute ruffled top with high-waisted jeans. And as accessories, massive gold-plated chains look cool. $20. And that very Top for just $2 in ribbed knit!
  
• Collars. Blouse
  

  H&M ordering and delivery from America to Russia

  H&M delivers to Russia, but delivery costs a decent amount of money (from $50!). It's cheaper to do this through the mail forwarding service for delivery from American stores Pochtoy.com! We have the best price — from $11,99. And record delivery times — only 4-10 days! Order the best H&M items directly from America, and save on every item!

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  Purchase and delivery of orders from US stores to Russia

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