H&M and Lee collaborate to achieve sustainability goals

H&M has announced its collaboration with American denim brand LEE to push for the next generation of more sustainable denim.

It’s a holistic collaboration with advances at every stage of design and production, from H&M’s first ever 100% recycled cotton jeans, to non-leather backpatches made from cork and jacron paper. For the first time, H&M will also share Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data on hm.com indicating the water, C02 & energy impact of each denim garment from raw materials to end of use.

LEE x H&M features collections for women, men and kids, and will be available on hm.com, as well as selected H&M stores, from 28^th January.

“We just loved working with LEE to push for change. A change for more sustainable and circular denim garments. We looked at every detail and challenged each other in a positive way. It’s also amazing to work with LEE’s iconic designs and give them a bit of our flavor, for H&M denim lovers around the world,” says Jon Loman, designer at H&M.

“LEE is proud to be collaborating with H&M to continue our efforts to make better denim. 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,” says Chris Waldeck, EVP Global Brand President, LEE®

LEE x H&M is an ambitious collaboration that has sustainability central to its design.

For the women’s collection, wide and loose jeans have a 90s throwback feel, while LEE’s classic Rider jacket is recut with an oversized cocoon shape. Denim corsets add a feminine edge, while dungarees and overshirts bring the functional workwear vibe, alongside Texloop™ RCOT™ Recycled Cotton jersey pieces for the full LEE x H&M look.

For the men’s collection, workwear jackets are a wardrobe essential with LEE’s true authenticity of design. Relaxed fit five pocket jeans are cut from 100% recycled cotton, while relaxed carpenter jeans are made with water-saving dyes and 100% Tencel™ Lyocell cellulosic sewing threads. There are workwear dungarees, denim bucket hats and tote bags, as well as heavyweight jersey pieces to complete the more sustainable collection.