H&M Kicks Off London Fashion Week in Cinematic Style

H&M knows how to throw a party. Last night, the Swedish brand marked the opening night of London Fashion Week with a high-octane spectacle, aptly titled “H&M&YOU&I,” at the Olympia London, with a star-studded front row, a cross-generational cast of models, and a see-now-buy-now collection.

The show, which featured a front row composed of Myha’la, Tems, Kai Schreiber, Cruz Beckham, and more, set its intention from the start. The Brazilian ballerina Ingrid Silva performed an emotive number before Alex Consani emerged in the opening look: a cream military jacket with epaulets, a sheer blouse, and low-rise trousers.

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Myha’la

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Tems

The event, which was divided into sections outlining the retailer’s current fall offering, Studio, and Atelier, had a cinematic quality to it—something that was reflected in both the staging and the clothes. The fall line, including Consani’s full look, is available to shop now, while Studio hits select stores and online on September 24.

“We wanted to show the bigger story of H&M womenswear,” the brand’s creative advisor Ann-Sofie Johansson said at an appointment the afternoon 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, best known for his visionary photography and platform SHOWStudio, created imagery that splashed onto the curved screen atop the runway.)

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Lila Moss

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Karen Elson

The show included a segment almost reminiscent of ’90s runways, where models shined spotlights on one another, showing off minimalist black slip dresses and sharp, narrow suiting, inspired by the “collector’s spirit” and the design team’s trip to Sicily. Johansson referenced the “Donna,” or Italian for woman, an inspiration easy to see in the in-charge pencil skirts and raw-edge jackets.

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Scarlett White

But what would the cinema be without a little romance?

For the show’s final act, Consani stepped back onstage to perform a spoken-word rendition of “I Want to Know What Love Is” with actor Archie Renaux. Labrinth, who composed the show’s music, then sang his version of the song, with the models (including mother-daughter duos Kristen and Lily McMenamy, and Karen Elson and Scarlett White) joining them for one final bow.

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Paloma Elsesser

The no-holds-barred production paired with the (mostly) minimal clothing spoke to the label’s Swedish roots. “We never wanted to talk about H&M as a Scandi brand, because we are a global brand,” Johansson notes. “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. We can have something frivolous, but at the same time, we’ll wear denim or sneakers.”

Matthew Velasco is the Fashion News Editor at ELLE. Based in New York City, he previously worked as a News Writer at W magazine and an Assistant Editor at V magazine. Outside of fashion, he enjoys interior design, tennis (both watching and playing), and a jam-packed antique store.