H&M set to bring the metaverse to GPO Melbourne

Global retailer H&M has launched into the metaverse in its latest drop, which will be available at GPO Melbourne from December 8. 

The H&M Innovation Metaverse Design Story collection will explore the blurring boundaries between online and offline through virtual wardrobes. 

“The increasingly virtual dimension of fashion creates exciting future opportunities for H&M, allowing us to create vibrant, bold and daring virtual counterparts to our physical collections,” H&M creative advisor Ann-Sofie Johansson said. “In addition to the endless creative possibilities, it also allows us to propose a more sustainable and inclusive fashion vision that can be accessed by anyone, anywhere in the world.”

The digital collection is highlighted through five augmented reality filters, accessible via the H&M app. Designed in partnership with the Institute of Digital Fashion (IDF), the AR fashion lenses provided by Snapchat enables virtual try-on.

“These digital garments are for everyone, extending beyond seasons, beyond gender and beyond realities, and helping us to consider the planet,” IDF co-founders Leanne Elliott Young and Cattytay said.

The interactive virtual space will be available from December 1, ahead of the digital drop.

The collection comprises womens and menswear looks, including a series of accessories, as well as a digital collection that is co-designed and crafted by H&M and the Institute of Digital Fashion, a London-based digital atelier.

Key items for women include a corset-waisted, neon-yellow dress with a tulle skirt; for men, an oversized black beaded bomber jacket.

In accessories, there includes wrap-around metallic sandals, with jewellery for both men and women. Creative advisor Ibrahim Kamara oversaw the styling concept.

H&M concept designer Ella Soccorsi said as the fashion world dives into the metaverse, the design team are seeing key opportunities for digital fashion.

“At the same time, we wanted to capture the infinite wonder of the natural world,” Soccorsi said. “The resulting collection is designed to be visually explosive and wonderfully tactile, while honouring the principles of H&M’s circular mindset.”

A key focus for the collection is circularity, as reported. Several pieces include recycled polyester fibres made entirely out of old garments and textile waste collected in partnership with H&M’s garment-collection program in stores.

According to H&M, one form-fitting dress in the collection has been made using a zero-waste pattern cutting process, while a jacket is made from REPREVE® Our Ocean™, recycled polyester made from ocean-bound plastic bottles.

Two dresses were also made with 100% recycled sequins made from plastic-bottle waste, after years of development, and a pair of leggings and a blazer-and-skirt combination.

H&M Innovation Stories was launched in early 2021 and includes a series of themed collections with sustainability, technology and production processes in mind.

Previous themes included animal-friendly fashion and alternatives to animal-derived materials, circular design strategies and fabrics that reclaim waste, and more sustainable methods of working with colour.