Instagram’s Head Of Fashion Teams With H&M For Eco Line Made For Your Kids’ Kids
By Mikelle Leow, 23 Aug 2023
Image via Eva Chen x H&M
Kids grow up too dang fast—a sentiment that’s incidentally underscored by a gaping hole in your pocket. In almost no time, they become too big for the cute clothes you buy them, meaning they’ll only wear them a couple of times before the garments get stowed away or donated to a new parent.
While fast fashion has a bad rap for producing short-lived pieces, H&M is looking to heal with the next generation. In a notable collaboration, the brand has teamed up with Eva Chen, Instagram’s head of fashion partnerships and a former magazine editor, to design a collection that’s built to be handed down.
Chen says the collection is an extension of what she deemed to be cool when she was a kid back in the 90s. The range is filled with nature-themed motifs, like flowers, trees, and flowers, and includes “true neutrals” like striped sweaters and denim vests and jackets that can easily be paired with anything.
These styles are “designed to be loved,” the Instagram exec shares with Good Morning America. Separately, she tells WWD that the timeless-looking garments are envisioned to be reworn and gifted to other children and beyond.
With these factors in mind, the collection is purposefully gender-neutral, enabling the items to be treasured by all. The duo consulted Slow Factory, an organization focused on promoting climate justice and human rights through creative means, while working on the project.
Keeping in line with the nature theme and H&M’s goal to use 100% sustainably-sourced materials by 2030, the Eva Chen x H&M selection is constructed from recycled cotton and polyester, along with a semi-synthetic fiber drawn from eucalyptus trees, called Tencel Lyocell.
Importantly, Chen—a children’s book author and a mother of three—says the line embodies the playful ways her kids Ren, Tao, and River express themselves through fashion. Ren, eight, consciously steps out in different-colored socks and loves experimenting with prints, she tells WWD.
The collection, with pieces for ages two to 10, is set to reach H&M stores and online beginning September 7. Prices will range between US$12.99 and US$59.99 per piece.
[via WWD and Good Morning America, images via various sources]