A pop-up exhibition highlights material recycling

The collaborative exhibition showcases how discarded garments can be upcycled into new, desirable pieces of fashion

Spotted: In a recent exhibition, New Yorkers had the chance to see the future of fashion up close. In partnership with material innovation company Circular Systems, global fashion retailer H&M presented a pop-up exhibition in the heart of the city that drew together fashion, art, and environmental sustainability.

The exhibition’s focus was on advancing planet-friendly circular fashion systems. The collection itself features clothing and accessories made from recycled materials, as well as art made from recycled materials. The goal of the initiative is to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and sustainability – while also encouraging people to recycle more. 

The initiative featured immersive installations created from sound, sculpture, video, and clothing. Visitors were able to learn about the innovative processes used to create the materials in the collection, as well as the challenges faced by the fashion industry in terms of waste management.

The interactive art installation also showcased the material recycling technologies used in H&M’s recently-launched Cherish Waste collection, which features Circular Systems’ Texloop RCOT Primo recycled cotton, as well as  Texloop’s textile recycling technology. This technology allows for the recycling of textile waste into new fibres, which can then be used to create new garments.  

Other circular fashion innovations recently spotted by Springwise include smart threads that make it easy to disassemble clothes, a plugin that lets customers re-sell their old clothes at the same time as they are buying new ones, and a re-sale website focused on luxury fashion.