Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Welcome to The Week Ahead, your guide to the coming days’ most important and interesting events. The top story for the foreseeable future remains the war in the Middle East, and the disruptions it’s causing to global energy markets. Keep an eye out for more from us on that this week.
In this edition:
- H&M is one of the last major fashion companies that still tries to generate some fanfare around its annual sustainability report. The 2025 edition is out Thursday.
- Shanghai Fashion Week returns, with a special guest designer.
H&M’s Sustainability Report
What’s happening: H&M Group releases its annual sustainability report on Thursday. Earlier this year, the company said it had reduced emissions by 30 percent from 2019 levels, with a goal to hit a targeted 56 percent reduction by 2030.
What to expect: I asked Shayeza Walid, The Business of Fashion’s excellent sustainability reporter and author of The Frayed Edge newsletter, what she’s looking for when she opens that giant PDF next week:
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“I’m keen to see what was the most effective lever in lowering their supply chain emissions, which they hinted they had been able to do in their annual report earlier in January. This is particularly interesting since most of the other large fashion players have either been sluggish in reaching their 2025 emissions targets or progress is plateauing. How has H&M managed to push ahead and keep momentum?”
A dying breed: It’s a minor miracle we’re getting this report at all. Corporate self-examination on emissions, waste, water use and labour practices was de rigueur for a period in the late 2010s and early 2020s. Today, H&M is one of a vanishing few large fashion companies that’s still making a big deal about its sustainability goals; others unceremoniously dump checklists on hard-to-find websites or have stopped publishing updates entirely.
The Trump administration’s vendetta against all things climate change was a major reason for this, of course, but these sorts of corporate sustainability deep dives were already falling out of fashion before the 2024 election. Pledging to curb emissions might have won some goodwill, but publishing report after report showing little progress towards that goal had the opposite effect. Consumers increasingly tuned out this sort of sustainability messaging, assuming (often rightfully) it was greenwashing. When the White House cracked down, it was the nail in the coffin.
Why H&M is an exception: There are two reasons H&M is plugging away. First, while it is a fast-fashion company, it’s also based in Sweden, where the politics on sustainability are a near mirror-image of America’s. Second, H&M badly needs to differentiate itself from competitors, namely Zara and Shein/Temu. Going all in on sustainability may not have the juice it did in 2019, but it still helps H&M stand out in the marketplace while it revamps its clothes and stores.
Shanghai Fashion Week Returns
What’s happening: Shanghai Fashion Week runs from March 25 through April 1.
Going global: The week’s profile has been rising on the international stage for a while, though momentum was interrupted by China’s long Covid lockdown. This season is the clearest signal yet that Shanghai has global ambitions.
Top of the list is Maison Margiela’s show on April 1, which will be followed by events in four Chinese cities. Vera Wang, Adidas and Apple are among other Western brands putting in an appearance. There will also be a smattering of small labels from across Asia showing.
Local Talent: The week primarily remains a showcase for Chinese designers, of course. Expected highlights include Feng Chen Wang, Xu Zhi, Jacques Wei and Comme Moi. Labelhood will host emerging brands including Markgong and Shushu/Tong.
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Awards relaunch: The main new-ish element this season is the Shanghai Fashion Designers Association’s relaunch of an awards programme for Chinese designers, now called the New Wave Fashion Awards.
— Robb Young contributed to this item
The Week Ahead wants to hear from you! Send tips, suggestions, complaints and compliments to brian.baskin@businessoffashion.com.
Want to dive deeper into an insight from this article? Check out The Brain of Fashion, BoF’s new generative AI tool where you can unlock BoF’s sustainability archive with a single question.
