In mid-August, Andreas Löwenstam was on a business trip to Barcelona. As design lead for H&M's men's department, he was in Spain to meet the company's suppliers.
We got down there and it was like 40 degrees. This is perhaps the biggest challenge, and I don't even know if we thought along these lines five years ago - now we have to, he says.
Having previously been based in Asia for H&M, he has extensive experience with high temperatures and challenging climates. In recent years, this has also become a reality in southern and central Europe, with intense, recurring heat waves.
"Need to rethink"
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently reported that the El Niño climate phenomenon this season is expected to be the most powerful ever. Climate change affects the entire clothing industry, and the needs and differences between regions may become increasingly pronounced, says Andreas Löwenstam:
It's a mindset. You understand that India, Miami or Indonesia have different needs, but we absolutely see that we need to rethink what we do for southern and northern Europe.
The H&M group is one of the world's largest players in the clothing industry, with just over 4,000 stores around the world. Outside the company's headquarters in central Stockholm, classic autumn weather prevails, with light winds and rain. Inside, Andreas Löwenstam and his colleagues are working on what customers might want to wear on a summer day in 2027.
Behavior is changing
In business terms, it's about being able to decide when to phase out different collections and launch new ones. H&M has weather data and analyses going back several decades to help with this, explains CEO Daniel Ervér:
When will the shift to autumn take place? When should we start showing knitwear? If that time changes, then customer behavior also changes, and we have to change our timing, he says, giving an example:
In the middle of summer we sold a lot of summer goods, but towards the end, the start of autumn came later than usual and we continued to sell “light” qualities (read: summer clothes). We react much faster today than we did a few years ago.
Cool clothes
But it’s not just about when to launch products, but also what to launch for customers. New conditions create new needs.
I was in Taiwan last summer. When it’s 40–45 degrees Celsius, you need clothes that protect you from the sun. Then we’re looking at a supplement to the range that doesn’t have to do with keeping you warm, but rather keeping you cool and protecting you from the sun, says Daniel Ervér.
At H&M's headquarters in Stockholm, work is underway on upcoming collections, including color choices.
That’s where Andreas Löwenstam and his colleagues come into the picture. He gives a practical example of a material that many people may not associate with hot summer days in July.
Natural materials like wool don't necessarily have to be warm. You like to wear such materials in the summer because they breathe, so it's really a lot about simplifying, and about the weight of the material. You work with much thinner qualities, he says.
The challenge is to remain relevant as a fashion company while also taking into account customers' changing needs.
I have to be honest, we and our customers get tired of a summer range. If you're a designer, you often find it more fun to work with an autumn collection than a spring collection.
What do you think?