H&M opened a store at La Palmera, bringing environmentally conscious and affordable apparel to Corpus Christi. Supermodel Natalia Vodianova models a dress made from the brand’s newest sustainable material: a recycled polyester made from plastic shoreline waste. Photo courtesy of H&M Group
It’s time to make room in your closet for stylish, affordable and environmentally conscious clothes. Fashion giant H&M opened its doors in La Palmera on Feb. 9. The store will offer apparel and accessories for women, men and children.
The store had a special Facebook event page to hype the grand opening, offering the first 100 shoppers an “all-access fashion pass” with a mystery amount of store credit up to $300.
H&M also invited customers to bring in old garments to be recycled for 15 percent off a purchase and the chance to win a gift card valued between $50 and $250.
The store, which had been in the works since January 2016, occupies 26,000 square feet in La Palmera. Remodeling costs were about $150,000.
H&M also celebrated three other grand openings in the United States on the same day: Wilmington, North Carolina; Longview, Texas; and Houma, Louisiana. Each grand opening offered the same perks for early shoppers.
It’s fast fashion you can feel good about, too.
H&M retailers promise to provide “fashion and quality at the best price in a sustainable way,” according to the website at hm.com.
The company takes its commitment to sustainability and transparency seriously.
H&M does not own any factories to create its own clothes. It buys from independent suppliers that use environmentally safe practices as well as works to improve challenges in the textile industry, including fair wages, benefits, and health and safety.
“Many of our products are made in some of the world’s poorest countries, and garment production is often the first step on the way out of poverty in many of these countries,” the website states.
Prices are kept low by cutting out the middleman in purchasing, volume purchasing and efficient logistics, continues the company’s statement.
The H&M group has a heart for philanthropy and maintains an environmentally conscious business model.
The H&M Foundation is the company’s nonprofit global foundation, privately funded by the CEO Stefan Perrson and family, founders and main owners of H&M. The foundation focuses on education, clean water, equality and protecting the planet.
The H&M foundation supports the Global Change Award, which recognizes five innovators who share the company’s vision for sustainability. Winners receive a grant of 1 million euros to develop their ideas and continue their green efforts to influence the fashion industry.
H&M operates in 64 countries with more than 4,300 stores worldwide, 462 of which are in the United States.
Visit H&M at La Palmera, located at 5488 South Padre Island Drive in Corpus Christi.
