The world is changing. Not fast enough, but it’s changing. Take John Boyega. There was a time when, if a rising actor got up during a protest centered around racial injustice with a megaphone in hand, their career might be dead overnight. There was a time when, if you brought up the environment to a fashion brand after being approached for a collaboration, you’d be laughed out of the room.
The world is changing. John Boyega, with courage in his heart and a better world in his mind, has decided he is a part of that change. And rather than close doors, rather than having to compromise, Boyega is leading us towards a new future.
With all that in mind, Boyega is partnering with H&M on the upcoming release of Edition by John Boyega, a line that not only reflects Boyega’s personal style, but his sensibilities, designed from the ground up with sustainability in mind.
The collection is, dropping in select stores on 28 October in the Middle East and on ae.hm.com, has a floral, autumnal sensibility that is constructed from recycled, organic and innovative materials such as Vegea—a vegan leather alternative to leather made partially from waste from the winemaking industry.
For Boyega, star of the latest Star Wars trilogy as Finn, and winning a Golden Globe for his performance in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe, he knew taking a stance and using his voice might close doors, but it would also filter out the wrong collaborators. On the flip side, he’s found it’s attracted the right ones—including H&M.
“I feel like speaking your mind filters out who is for you. That is the biggest realization that I have had. Sometimes you have just got to accept the situation, know that your stance and what you stand for will filter out the bad and the right people that agree with you, that are on the same page, that understand you, will find you,” Boyega tells Esquire Middle East.
For H&M, it was his authenticity that brought them to him.
“The Edition by John Boyega collection is meant to be a platform for progress; a celebration of courageous people who dare to take a stand for what they believe in. John Boyega is the definition of a changemaker. He dares to lead, continuously challenging himself to take actions today that can positively reshape the future for others,” says H&M Head of Men’s Design Ross Lydon.
In Boyega’s line, the cotton is organic or recycled from textile-production waste or post-consumer waste; nylons and polyesters are recycled, while viscose fibres are from sustainable sources. Each item has been considered as such. A striking checked coat, for example, is partly made from premium Italian recycled wool. A timeless organic cotton striped shirt has a roomy cut, while a zip-off puffer jacket crafted from Vegea, which can be quickly transformed from jacket to vest.
When Boyega was growing up in Peckham in South London, he did not grow up with much money around, meaning that questions of sustainability hadn’t entered his mind yet—he had to think about himself and his family first. Now that he’s found success, he’s thinking beyond himself as much as possible.
“I think when I was younger, because of my situation, and the poverty, I was just so fixated on getting out of that situation, and being in a better place, especially for me and my family. But now being in this position where that’s kind of being conquered, I can fixate on other things. It’s like you’re aligning that want for success and the things for you and your people, you’re aligning it now with purpose that can now impact other people that you now don’t even necessarily know,” says Boyega.
“And being in entertainment is one of the major pillars of influence in the world, I can now use that to be genuine, not try complicate it, and just try to do good collaborations that hopefully people see the positivity of and it does something that’ll help others in some way.”
Sustainability, thankfully, is not just something H&M is trying as a one-off.
“Sustainability is embedded in all we do, it is part of our core and in our mindset when we plan and design our collections. Fashion needs to change and we want to be part of that change, towards a circular fashion future. For this collection and campaign, to add on John, being vocal about change and his sense of style in using patterns and bold colors, well; it was a true match from the day we started talking,” says H&M’s Ross.
Beyond that aspect, of course, is the style itself. Boyega has long been catching eyes on the red carpet, known for his eye-catching jacket choices, both bold and restrained at once. The H&M line draws from that personal style in a big way, something that Boyega was so excited to collaborate on. His line is not designed just for a red carpet, it’s to add that signature Boyega flair to the every day
“I had to just think about lifestyle, about simplicity and at the same time, how people live their lives. When people want to go out and enjoy themselves and when people need outfits to wear, when to stay in, and even my own casual wear and the style of clothes that I have. I incorporating my own personal passions into it,” says Boyega.
“H&M were kind of my parental guides,” says Boyega with a laugh. “they walked through the process, because they those guys are the professionals and then it was just a back and forth collaboration on designs about what certain things we would do, even down to the trainers and accessories, having a bag that can be reused for shopping or is something that you can reuse that looks stylish that might match your hoodie if you want to stand a little bit. It was charming to me, and it just hit several notes. We came to that balance while thinking about sustainability at the same time as cool, cool design,” says Boyega.
That relaxed feel is key, according to Boyega. The shirts and trousers have that feel, built for a casual autumn, as do a knitted green cardigan and a yellow rollneck, all with a roomy silhouette. A pink tie-dye sweatshirt and the T-shirts are emblazoned with the hopeful reminder “A better present leads to a better future”, alongside a graphic of planet Earth in action. The collection, as John alluded to, is completed by a tote bag with these graphics, plus a floral cap and pink tie-dye canvas trainers.
Will there be another Boyega line coming out in future seasons? John plays coy on that one. But don’t be surprised if this move is a long term one, rather than a simple dabble in the fashion space. After all, Boyega seems quite smitten with these clothes and accessories, and it’s hard to blame him. He makes it look good, and later this month, we will too.
The collection will be available in selected store across the Middle East from 28 Oct and on ae.hm.com
