The Swedish retailer staged a high-production show featuring Nick Knight imagery, cross-generational models, and a see-now-buy-now collection.
H&M marked the opening night of London Fashion Week with an elaborate production titled "H&M&YOU&I" at Olympia London, complete with a celebrity-filled front row and immediate shopping availability.
The front row included Myha'la, Tems, Kai Schreiber, and Cruz Beckham among others. Brazilian ballerina Ingrid Silva opened with an emotional performance before Alex Consani appeared in the first look: a cream military jacket with epaulets, a sheer blouse, and low-rise trousers.
The show was structured in sections highlighting the retailer's current fall offering, Studio, and Atelier lines. Creative advisor Ann-Sofie Johansson described the approach as cinematic. "We wanted to show the bigger story of H&M womenswear," she said following the show. "Fashion isn't one thing any longer. We use the word 'cinematic.' It feels like a cinematic season. Nick Knight jumped on that and developed a theme around that as well." Knight, known for his photography and SHOWStudio platform, created imagery projected onto the curved screen above the runway.
The fall collection is available now, while Studio arrives in select stores and online on September 24.
One segment recalled 1990s runway formats, with models illuminating each other to display minimalist black slip dresses and narrow suiting. Johansson cited the "collector's spirit" and a design team trip to Sicily as influences. She referenced the "Donna," Italian for woman, visible in pencil skirts and raw-edge jackets.
The finale brought Consani back to perform spoken-word vocals on "I Want to Know What Love Is" alongside actor Archie Renaux. Labrinth, who composed the show's music, then performed his version of the song. Models including mother-daughter pairs Kristen and Lily McMenamy, and Karen Elson with Scarlett White, joined for the final bow.
Johansson acknowledged the collection's Swedish sensibility despite the brand's global positioning. "We never wanted to talk about H&M as a Scandi brand, because we are a global brand," she said. "But whether we want it or not, there is that Scandi feeling. The pared-down look, the color—or lack of color—it actually reflects Scandiness because we are more practical, and we want things to be functional also."