If you’ve been waiting patiently for H&M’s Conscious Exclusive line to debut since you saw a sneak peek at Olivia Wilde‘s gorgeous ads, you’re not alone — we have been too! The brand’s in-house collection of eco-friendly clothes is finally available, and with its debut, H&M curated an extra line of sustainable, ethical and A-listy finds (we’re talking pieces from Blake Lively’s Preserve and Lauren Bush Lauren’s FEED) available exclusively at H&M’s N.Y.C. pop up shop.
And one brand partner, Rosario Dawson (founder of Studio One Eighty Nine, a Ghana-based brand that employs artisans to create its products) chatted with PEOPLE about the collection, her favorite summer outfit and why she obsessed with caftans.
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If you were looking for some summer-style inspiration, you can follow Dawson’s lead: “Naked. Naked is best for summer.”
Okay, so she was just joking about the naked part, but she will be wearing the next-best thing: flowy, silk caftans and wraps, which are perfect for her beachy lifestyle. “I’m from the beach on Coney Island in Brooklyn, I live on the beach in L.A. In Venice, I’m on the canals, around the coast in Ghana. And I’m in the islands of Sierra Leone, so water is a big part of it,” she shares. “For summer I’m going to be wearing a lot of comfortable and beautiful and bright and luxurious pieces.” (We’re proponents of caftans even if you’re completely landlocked, as per our life’s motto, What Would Blanche Devereaux Do?)
Caftans aren’t just a perfect summer staple for the star, but a special connection to her family as well. “I have this really gorgeous gold house robe; it’s kind of just a drapey, almost capey thing. My great-grandmother made it for my grandmother,” she says. “It’s very old school. My great-grandmother worked for the Ladies International Garment Workers Union, and so working with the ladies and the men at Studio One Eighty Nine, that’s what it makes me think of.”
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Studio One Eighty Nine is the artisan-produced fashion collection she helped establish (which supports One Billion Rising, a campaign to stop violence against women). H&M’s pop-up shop will feature the lines’ bracelets, all made of recyclable Coca-Cola, Guinness and Bailey’s bottles. “We’re really excited to be a part of it,” says Dawson. “We love what H&M is doing by taking recycled clothing and starting the conversation so people start to think about [sustainable fashion], and that’s a big deal for us because that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
Collections from Studio One Eighty Nine and H&M Conscious are both available to shop now. What are you looking forward to wearing this summer? Will you stock up on caftans? Share in the comments below.
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–Colleen Kratofil
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