The H&M 2016 Conscious Exclusive Collection effortlessly merges a sense of history with modernity. Launched to coincide with the opening of the exhibition Fashion Forward – 300 years of Fashion at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, to which it pays homage, the collection conveys an idea of painterly and sophisticated elegance.

The H&M design team has delved into the museum’s collections of archival fashions in order to pick up key pieces from the last three centuries of haute couture. The result is a contemporary and artistic collection that is soulful, progressive, conscious and truly unique. The collection will be available in approximately 180 stores worldwide and online from April 7.

“Working with innovative sustainable materials and ornate embellishment, the collection is a layering of references, shapes and textures topped off by intensely decorative accessories and deco-inspired bijoux,” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, Creative Advisor at H&M.

Materials include organic silk, hemp, recycled linen and Tencel® blends as well as new innovative materials such as beads and rhinestones made from recycled glass and Denimite − a material made out of recycled worn-out denim, which H&M is the first fashion company to use.

Also new for this season’s launch of Conscious Exclusive are three wedding dresses − a feast of lightness and embellishment materialised in dreamy, draped lines, for the bride wanting to be as beautifully dressed as she is conscious.

H&M will be the exclusive sponsor of the upcoming exhibition Fashion Forward – 300 years of Fashion at Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Pamela Golbin is the Chief Curator of the exhibition. Collection modeled by Julia Restoin Roitfeld www.hm.com