Lee and H&M’s latest sustainable collaboration is now available for the generation that’s notorious for its environmental action. The brands announced a children’s collection as part of their recent collaboration, which they hail as the “next generation” of sustainable denim.
Made from post-consumer recycled cotton and organic cotton and featuring non-leather back patches made from cork and jacron paper, the denim collection demonstrates the brands’ increasing focus on responsible production. Garments were made with water-saving dyeing processes and low-impact, third-party-verified washing methods.
Like its men’s and women’s counterparts, the kids line will also include Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data on the H&M website to show the water, C02 and energy impact of each denim garment.
The children’s collection boasts nostalgic influences that date back to the ’80s and ’90s, with relaxed-fit and wide-leg jeans, denim crop tops and a range of vintage washes. Workwear is another essential element in the collection, with key items such as a denim chore jacket and jeans with cargo pockets. T-shirts, overalls, beanies and sweats in a soft color palette of off-white and green-yellow round out the collection and tap into the pandemic-inspired loungewear trend. Select sweatshirts feature a brief history lesson of Lee on the front, displaying where and when the brand’s jeans were first created.
According to Chris Waldeck, Lee’s executive vice president, global brand president, denim innovation is a never-ending process. “Lee is proud to be collaborating with H&M to continue our efforts to make better denim,” he said. “Our brand was founded more than 130 years ago with innovation in mind, and today we are happy to be joining with H&M to advance denim into a more sustainable future.”
“It’s been so much fun to take Lee’s iconic designs and create this kids collection full of springtime positivity and optimism,” said Sofia Löfstedt, H&M head of kidswear design.
The sustainable denim collection comes on the heels of another kids-centric initiative from the fast-fashion giant. Just this month, H&M-owned apparel and lifestyle brand Arket announced a partnership with Amsterdam-based clothing subscription service Circos to provide clothing rental services for kids’ garments.
The Lee x H&M collection for kids will retail for $12-$60. It will be available on hm.com beginning Jan. 28.
