H&m sustainability case study

H&M: The Retail-Clothing Giant

David Beckham, Freja Beha, Beyoncé, Gisele Bündchen, Georgia May Jagger, Miranda Kerr, Madonna, Vanessa Paradis, Katy Perry, Lana Del Rey, Rihanna, and Anja Rubik represent just a partial list of well-known people around the world who have worked with H&M (do you recognize all of them?). But, let’s move on from the name-dropping to Hennes & Mauritz, or H&M as it is more commonly known. H&M is a Swedish multinational retail-clothing giant known for its fashion clothing for women, men, teenagers, and children. H&M has effectively used superstar celebrities like David Beckham, Beyoncé, and Gisele Bündchen for years to carry their advertising message worldwide. Behind the scenes, H&M’s global supply chains are equally well orchestrated and are as high powered as its advertising campaigns. H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB is now the full name of the company (it started simply as “Hennes” in 1947 in a small Swedish town called Västerås). The idea for the company emerged when, in 1946, Erling Persson, the company’s founder, came up with the idea of offering fashionable clothing at relatively low prices while he was on a business trip to the United States. At that time, Persson decided to focus on women’s clothing only, and “Hennes,” which means “her” or “hers” in Swedish, was started. A couple of decades later, in 1968, Hennes acquired the building and inventory of hunting equipment retailer Mauritz Widforss. A supply of men’s clothing was also part of the inventory. This resulted in menswear being included in the company’s collection—and gave birth to Hennes & Maurits (H&M). H&M now has some 3,200 stores in 54 countries and approximately 116,000 employees. It is the second-largest clothing retailer in the world after Spain-based Inditex (parent company of ZARA) and ahead of U.S.-based Gap Inc. Pedestrians walk past an H&M store in Singapore. © Charles Pertwee/Bloomberg/Getty Images H&M comprises six different brands, although the H&M brand is the most recognizable worldwide. The other brands are COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday, and & Other Stories. H&M designs sustainable fashion for all people at relatively modest prices and sells its products in 54 countries and online in an additional 10 markets. COS explores the concept of style over fashion and sells its products in stores and online in 38 countries. Monki is promoted as a fashion experience and is offered in 30 markets in stores and online. Weekday is a jeans-focused fashion destination with sales in 25 markets. Cheap Monday combines “influences from street fashion and subculture with a catwalk vibe” and is offered in some 20 markets.