Look up “role model” and you’ll find mostly old white men who often failed us. But we know age, background or gender doesn’t make a role model. The ability to lead and bring about change comes from within—and it can come from anybody in any shape, size, personality or place. A powerful film designed to provoke and speak truth, Role Models documents kids around the world taking the lead during a time of social, political and environmental crises. In 2021, more than ever, we need to empower the next generation with the confidence and tools to make our planet a better place. H&M Kids realizes that and wants to contribute to a better future for young people. Our film unveils Gen Z's collective superpower for change, and how we can all better progress by listening to those we traditionally teach and rethinking who we turn to for hope: kids.

Role Models X H&M is a provocative film crafted to make the world talk and make the viewer rethink who they look to for change. We interviewed hundreds of kids aged 5-13 from around the world, filming 12 in Kenya, Brazil and the US. Seated on school chairs in nature, Role Models revealed kids as teachers as a global truth. The film captures the kids’ “aha” moment and provokes the viewer’s own: kids are the role models we’ve been waiting for. The six-minute documentary-style film asks kids from every background and walk of life their views on adults, what they see is important and how they want the world to change. Addressing issues like climate change, race, gender, immigration and police brutality, the kids also share their solutions on how to make the world a better place, inspiring other young people to join up and become role models themselves.

Look up “role model” and you’ll find mostly old white men who often failed us. But we know age, background or gender doesn’t make a role model. The ability to lead and bring about change comes from within—and it can come from anybody in any shape, size, personality or place. A powerful film designed to provoke and speak truth, Role Models documents kids around the world taking the lead during a time of social, political and environmental crises. In 2021, more than ever, we need to empower the next generation with the confidence and tools to make our planet a better place. H&M Kids realizes that and wants to contribute to a better future for young people. Our film unveils Gen Z's collective superpower for change, and how we can all better progress by listening to those we traditionally teach and rethinking who we turn to for hope: kids.

Role Models launched on Apr 27, 2021 in 72 countries on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, cinema and national TV, and has been translated into 14 languages. The film initiates a multi-year H&M platform that finds and empowers young role models as an investment in our collective future. The platform is funded indefinitely through proceeds from a new line of sustainable kids’ clothing co-developed with the grantees. To ensure inclusivity, our film highlights kids with a diverse range of impact. They aren’t all Greta Thunbergs. While some already have a global reach, fighting climate change at the UN with Greta, others create change on a very local level, with causes like disability, immigration and the Black Lives Matter movement. Through Role Models, H&M shows kids’ urgency to reshape the world now. The goal for the campaign is to inspire other young people to join up and become role models themselves.

The film launched on Apr 27, 2021 in 72 countries on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, cinema and national TV, and has already been met with excellent reviews. It has thus far received national and global PR from the US to Germany to South Africa. With new role model submissions pouring in on H&M’s website and over 200 already lined up, there are initial conversations about turning Role Models into a longform series on a major streaming platform. Beyond simply providing a platform for proactive voices, Role Models is a total reimagining of who should have the megaphone and we look to for ideas. The platform is funded indefinitely through proceeds from a new line of sustainable kids’ clothing co-developed with the grantees. H&M has taken much inspiration from these kids and has announced their goal to be climate positive by 2040.