The new retail partnership is shining a spotlight on sustainability and putting a fun spin on up-cycling.
Family-friendly experiential retailer Camp has built its reputation on blending merchandise with themed, hands-on experiences that change on a regular basis. Its latest activation, done in partnership with fast-fashion giant H&M, is designed to teach kids about sustainability and inspire them to be “change makers.”
The free, two-part activity, called “Kid-Powered Style,” is at Camp’s 8,000sq ft store at The Shops at Columbus Circle, Manhattan. It is running until 5 September.
The experience offers visitors the chance to craft and unleash their “inner designer” using sustainable materials in a dedicated space called “The Style Cabin.” The walls of the cabin are decorated with colourful up-cycled denim and T-shirts sourced from donations and thrift stores.
H&M donated 2,000 up-cycled cheetah-patterned tote bags that shoppers can use to create DIY toys and accessories. Customers are also invited to use their own unwanted clothes to bring their designs to life. Camp supplies scissors, markers, stencils and other crafting accessories.
A wall-mounted tablet enables customers to create a Boomerang video of their crafting experience and post it on social media.
“We wanted to infuse Camp’s values of fun and play into H&M’s key pillars of style, fun and being progressive,” said Kirk Larsen, Camp’s Creative Director. “Using pre-loved clothing and turning it into something new [on the cabin walls] mirror the activities [happening] inside the cabin as kids also turn well-loved items into something new and fun.”
