Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) has teamed up with the London College of Fashion on a sustainability project which aims to explore the concept of circularity. The project were students from BA Fashion Jewelry and BA Fashion Design and Technology (women’s wear) courses who were grouped into 33 teams and given the task of creating women’s capsule collections using materials and garments gathered as part of H&M’s in-store garment collecting scheme.

The scheme was designed in such a way so as to encourage consumers to donate unwanted garments of any brand at H&M stores. The company then reuses or recycles them in its efforts to embrace a circular business model. A panel of experts headed by H&M’s UK sustainability manager Catarina Midby, designer and founder of non-profit community Fashion Revolution were formed. Others in the panel include Orsola de Castro and Dilys Williams, Director, Center for Sustainable Fashion.

One of the winning collections, titled “Dissimulation and Exposure” made use of denim and jersey, two of the most common recycled fabrics. This so, in order to create deconstructed garments that is both structured and delicate using a series of patchwork and weaving techniques. Other winners included ‘Something New’ a collection based around a fabric made using scraps of unwanted garments and aiming to waste no textile in the production processes. The other was ‘Playful Activists’ which reused children’s garments to create colorful fabrics.

Midby said promoting garment recycling is a key step as the company works towards becoming 100 per cent circular, a long-term ambition they revealed at a conference in London earlier this year. The winning collections will be showcased across five H&M stores around London and at the London Fashion Week from September 16-20.