Time to go long-lasting
About a year ago, the H&M Group launched a new brand called Arket, which is sold online in numerous countries in Europe and now also in 13 stores. That alone is not very special. The interesting thing about Arket is the concept: Arket sees itself as a sustainable brand. This claim is reflected in the use of sustainable materials and an unprecedented degree of transparency: Arket lists all suppliers per product on the website and on the respective care labels. Arket's goal is to create a durable and affordable fashion, not a disposable product, and this is seen as a counter-project to the parent company. But how does sustainability work within the H&M Group? How can longevity in fashion work at all? Regina Henkel speaks to the CEO of Arket, Lars Axelsson, to glean more about it.
Your intention is to make longterm fashion. How do you intend to achieve this? How exactly do you determine a durable design that works in all markets?
To attempt to make products with a longer life, we invest time in their development. This can be in the form of studying vintage garments and source material to identify the archetypal qualities of a particular style or print, the development of custom yarns and fabrics by our in-house technicians, or longterm collaborations with textile experts around the world. We see quality as the basis for longevity and sustainability, and we strive to make products that are refined and versatile, that can be combined in many ways to suit different needs and occasions. Sustainable design builds on simplicity and functionality and means that the products need to be able to withstand both wear and seasonal trends. At the core of our collections is a base of carryover products, ones we intend to keep in the collection for a long time, allowing customers to find their favourites time and time again. Our solid foundation of core products also creates room for play season-to-season through materials, colours and proportions.
What does Arket mean?
Arket means 'a sheet of paper' in Swedish and symbolises the creative possibilities we felt when developing a new brand. The name is a nod to our Nordic heritage and combines many of the concepts we return to for inspiration, such as archive, archetypes, and the market.
Why is Arket interesting to the H&M group?
All brands within the H&M group have distinct design concepts but follow the same business philosophy of fashion, sustainability and value for money. The group is in constant development, with several new projects running simultaneously, to complement the existing concepts and find new customers. When we started working on the Arket project during the winter of 2015, we looked at ourselves and what we were missing as customers. We also considered the role of the physical store nowadays and concluded it needs to be a place where customers feel at ease, inspired, and where they are happy to spend time. Arket is a modern-day market with a broad but carefully curated assortment as well as a vegetarian café under one roof, and aims to make quality and sustainable design accessible to a broad customer group.
How much fashion do you allow yourself in the collection?
The archive is the starting point for all Arket collections, which means going back to the original idea of each product category to understand why it was developed, why it looks and works as it does.
Beautification or experiments with different materials enhance the function and utility, and help the products find their place in the modern world. Each new collection is defined by a unique theme or reference, expressed through signature pieces, shapes or fabrics, but always stands on a foundation of products that traverse the seasons. The idea of transitional wear, layering and functionality is fundamental to how everything we design and develop.
Your collection is very colourful. How does this fit to long-lasting design?
Quality, functionality, simplicity, versatility and durability are all fundamental parts of sustainable design, which is a concept we've been talking a lot about during the development of Arket. Whether it's a garment or an item for your home, the design of our products always starts with defining their purpose. Our customers should trust that everything we make deserves its place on the shelf. The colours we work with form a creative framework for each new collection, where soft shades and nuances within a limited palette help create richness and depth in a simple and refined way.
What is Arket's opinion on fast fashion?
Arket focuses on simple, welldesigned and durable products made in a responsible way, that the customer will be able to keep and use for many years. We value longevity and it's something that is reflected in everything we make. We believe our customers are looking for quality as a broader concept and part of this is building a wardrobe to last for a long time, filled with fewer but more versatile pieces they can keep coming back to.
How has Arket performed so far? In what areas do you want to become even better?
H&M group doesn't disclose figures for the individual brands. However, the feedback we've received from customers this far has been hugely positive, and we've especially enjoyed seeing how those aspects that were fundamental to us when developing the brand are also those that are the most important to our customers-such as the quality of the materials, the focus on simple and well-made items, sustainability, transparency through the production processes, and not least our vegetarian café. We're still a new concept and at this early stage in the brand's development, our main focus is to continuously take in feedback and listen to the customers, and try to refine and develop our version of the modern-day market.
How many collections do you work with each year? How often do new styles come to the store?
Within our Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter collections, we frequently release smaller drops with seasonal variations and new additions to the core assortment.
What happens to the part of the collection that cannot be sold?
The vast majority of our range is sold in our stores or online. We also actively move products to stores where we see a greater demand, or even to other countries where we have too few. But naturally it is impossible to always accurately predict demand, especially during the early stage we are in. If products remain unsold at the end of the season we evaluate storage until the next season. Only in exceptional cases where no internal solutions are feasible would we consider external buyers of overstock, but it is something we are fortunate not to have had to do.
In which countries have you opened stores? Which will be next?
Arket was launched on Regent Street in London and online in 18 European markets in August 2017. Since then, we've opened 13 physical stores in cities like Copenhagen, Brussels, Munich, Amsterdam, Liverpool, Gothenburg and another two stores in London. In August, the first in a series of Arket spaces offering an edited version of our collections opened at Copenhagen Airport.
Sustainability is important to you. How far do you go? In what sector could you be seen as a role model for others?
As a brand within the H&M group, Arket has the ambition to lead the change to a sustainable fashion industry. Our focus is long-lasting and durable products that can be kept and used for many years. Sustainability has been a primary consideration in the development of Arket and has been incorporated naturally in all processes-from our supplier choices, to the materials we use and how we can help educate our customers on how to care for their products to prolong their lifespan. We always strive to source the most sustainable materials available for our collections. The definition of sustainable is interpreted from case to case-sometimes it will be organic natural fibres or recycled and regenerated materials, other times it will be the strongest and most durable option to guarantee products with a long life, and thus a sustainable use of the resources. We believe in transparency as a necessary companion to sustainability, and share as much information about the design and production process as we can, especially through our online store. Arket is too young to be considered a role model but we certainly hope to contribute to a collaborative positive change in the industry through the work that we do, and by bringing our suppliers to the front of the stage.
How exactly do you ensure that your workers can make a living from their work?
Arket works with independent suppliers and does not employ garment workers directly. However, we want all our suppliers to pay a fair living wage, and we definitely see it as our responsibility to work for fair wages and good working conditions in the countries where we buy products from. The best way to improve wages for textile workers in the long term is to improve the wage structures for the whole industry. We believe in doing this together with factory owners and factory employees, with other brands, as well as with the governments in the respective countries. The first necessary step is to create an enabling environment where wages are negotiated between the factory owners and democratically elected worker representatives.
Will your experience in designing sustainable processes also have an impact on the processes at H&M?
All brands within the H&M group share a common sustainability ambition and strategy. Naturally, each brand chooses areas where they can have more impact and drive change, but at the end of the day we all learn from each other.
How far are you working on closing loops?
Our first step and primary goal as a new brand is to lengthen the loop, before closing it. That's why we invest in designing and developing products that our customers will be able to keep for life. We always work to increase the sourcing of recycled materials, such as Econyl yarn made from 100 per cent recycled nylon waste, or yarns spun from recycled cashmere fibres, and we are currently investigating additional ways for our customers to give their Arket products a second life.
The store concept is very unique as you integrate a café. Why?
Our ambition has been to create a new type of destination, a modern-day market, combining carefully curated collections with a New Nordic vegetarian café. We've looked at what kind of store experience we were missing as customers, a place where you feel inspired and at ease, where it's easy to find what you're looking for, and where you can get an understanding of the quality of the products. We also wanted to offer something more than shopping, and making the café a central part of the stores felt a natural direction. The café is a warm and generous environment that invites you to a slower pace, and also what creates a unique atmosphere in each of our different locations.
The store concept is very unique as you integrate a café. Why?
Our ambition has been to create a new type of destination, a modern-day market, combining carefully curated collections with a New Nordic vegetarian café. We've looked at what kind of store experience we were missing as customers, a place where you feel inspired and at ease, where it's easy to find what you're looking for, and where you can get an understanding of the quality of the products. We also wanted to offer something more than shopping, and making the café a central part of the stores felt a natural direction. The café is a warm and generous environment that invites you to a slower pace, and also what creates a unique atmosphere in each of our different locations.
What are your long-term plans with Arket?
We're still a young brand and our current focus is to develop our version of the modern-day market. We have a broad customer group in 18 different markets and we want to be in close dialogue with the people spending time at Arket in order to refine our offering. Our mission is to democratise quality, to offer our customers an everyday uniform, and to create a destination for essential things that encapsulates a feeling of warmth, innovation and tradition, both online and in our physical stores. As of today, we have opened several new stores this year, and more will of course follow.
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