To fight climate change, we need to change fashion. And this is what H&M Looop is all about. A world-first, Looop’s technology has been transformed into a beautiful, tangible experience for consumers. To shift a maybe-one-day concept into something that can already make a difference. Looop remakes old garments into new, without the use of water and chemicals, having a significantly lower environmental impact than producing garments from scratch. Looop is here to kickstart a recycling revolution, with the technology made available to the entire fashion industry helping how we see our old garments, not as waste as a resource.

You wouldn’t think twice about recycling glass, a PET bottle, or newspaper. But the sad truth is that 87% of clothing ends up as landfill - globally. To help fight climate change, fashion needs to change. H&M is on a mission to do this, by bringing circularity into the heart of the retail experience. So, together with the Hong Kong Research Institute of Technology and the H&M Foundation, they developed Looop - the world’s first in-store garment-to-garment recycling system.

The brief was to create the overall commercial idea and concept of Looop. This included the visual identity, interior design, digital and interactive concept, to showcase Looop in H&M’s flagship store on Drottninggatan in Stockholm, Sweden.

Our approach was to focus on the craft and process at the core of this new technology, rather than the end product. The design of the space is reminiscent of an exhibition, guiding customers on a journey that old garments take towards becoming a new upcycled item.

Looop is housed in a stunning glass box to reveal the process to all. Customers can interact with Looop via an intuitive app, selecting from 1 of 8 ready-to-wear designs. Looop then recycles old garments, there and then. Opposite the machine, eight giant screens display the process within. Each step depicted as a beautifully animated loop, brought to life as customers walk by. ASMR sound showers make the experience truly immersive. A striking red yarn installation works as a way-finder, to bring customers into the remake space. While an accompanying website brings this revolutionary recycling system and its story to a global audience.

Launched in-store on October 2020

Looop has been developed by the non-profit H&M Foundation, together with research partner HKRITA (The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel) and Novetex Textiles. The technique disassembles and assembles old garments over eight steps,

1. Cleaning - Garments are sprayed with ozone to remove any microorganisms.

2. Shredding - Garments are shredded down into small chunks of fabric fibres.

3. Filtering - Fabric fibres are filtered to remove dirt, and extra sustainable, virgin cotton fibres are added for strength - this share is as small as possible

4. Carding- The clean fibre mix is straightened into a fibre web and pulled into slivers.

5. Drawing - Multiple fibre slivers are combined to create even stronger, thicker ones.

6. Spinning - Thick fibre slivers are spun to create a single yarn thread.

7. Twisting - Single yarn threads are doubled and twisted together to increase strength.

8. Knitting - Yarn is then knitted into a new, ready-to-wear design.

The system uses no water and no chemicals, thus having a significantly lower environmental impact than when producing garments from scratch.

Despite being launched in October 2020 during the height of Corona restrictions in Sweden, spots to remake with Looop booked out within weeks, for four months in advance. The remake space was carefully managed to follow the strictest safety measures, allowing customers to explore from day one.

News of Looop quickly spread around the world, with over 500 articles, across 55 markets, sharing Looop’s story. The overall and combined social media reach of the campaign exceeded 15 million.

While Looop in Stockholm is the first in-store garment-to-garment machine of its kind, H&M plans to take Looop into other markets and stores. HKRITA has also made the technology available for license. To encourage all brands and companies within the fashion industry to join the recycling revolution. To change how we all see our old garments, not as waste but as a resource.