Inside H&M’s London Fashion Week Show With Alex Consansi, Tems, Kim Petras, and More
My brain didn’t react to H&M’s latest London Fashion Week production like it does to a normal fashion show. Neurons were activated that had been dormant since I saw Tyler, the Creator’s Chromakopia Tour last year, or maybe even since I went on Universal Studios Florida’s long-since shuttered Back to the Future ride as a kid. Officially titled H&M&YOU&I and held inside the massive and recently reopened Olympia London events center, this was an expertly produced, all-encompassing experience that hijacked the senses for a 30-minute ride of fashion extravagance.
Ingrid Silva, the Brazilian-born ballerina who dances for New York’s Dance Theatre of Harlem, opened the show with a performance choreographed to literally turn on the lights inside a section of the Olympia that held a reported 700 guests. Moments later, Alex Consani opened the runway in an ivory cropped military jacket; sheer blouse; and slim-cut trousers. Scarlett White walked the runway, followed shortly by her mother, Karen Elson. Kristen and Lily McMenamy later shared a similar mother-daughter runway moment, this one punctuated by the elder McMenamy literally skipping off the runway after striking a number of artistic poses. Lila Moss walked during a passage in which the lights were dimmed and models illuminated each other with handheld spotlights. Myha’la, Tems, Manu Rios, Fakemink, and the youngest Beckham boy took it all in from the front row. Dry ice smoke was pumped in from below their seats.
Just when you thought you couldn’t be in for any more surprises, Consani returned to the stage, making something of her acting debut (she’s been taking acting lessons and has already secured a role in the next American Horror Story, if you hadn’t heard). She performed a romantic spoken-word rendition of Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is” alongside Archie Renaux. For good measure, Labrinth (who was responsible for producing all of the show’s music) came out to sing his version, with Silva providing an accompanying dance. By the time the show hit its climax, you had forgotten that three PETA protestors crashed the runway. (The incidents were much calmer than the events at last week’s COS show in New York: The protestors didn’t scream. The security guards remained hands-off.)
The fact that the show included all of this but didn’t overwhelm was thanks to Nick Knight, the British fashion image maker who knows how to make an impact while avoiding all-out maximalism. Even if you’re not a fashion nerd, you know Knight’s work. He put Lady Gaga’s head on a motorcycle for the Born This Way cover, directed Björk in the “Pagan Poetry” music video, and shot the official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II for her 90th birthday.
Even still, the clothes could run the risk of getting lost amid the theatrics. But the messages of the three collections shown (a portion of the brand’s current autumn collection for women, the elevated H&M Studio line, and the menswear-focused H&M Atelier line) made their point. “We were very inspired by cinematic moves. All of us, from menswear and womenswear to the studio line, we all talked about films as an inspiration,” said womenswear design director Eliana Masgalos Duarte backstage. “It felt like also the world needed a little bit more dream and more love.” The fall line was inspired by eclectics and collectors—women who haunt thrift stores for their outfit’s perfect finishing touch, a point accentuated by stylist Jacob Kjeldgaard’s addition of plenty of chunky gold accessories. The Studio line, meanwhile, went for romanticism and escapism, seen in Consani’s opening jacket and flowy Wuthering Heights–worthy dresses.
“You want to be able to dream again,” said H&M’s creative advisor Ann-Sofie Johansson. “You want to be able to enjoy beauty, whether that is a beautiful ballerina, Labrinth singing with his strong voice, or beautiful garments. I think we need joy in our lives and we need to create memories.”
Like all good concerts or theme park rides, guests exited through a gift shop of sorts—this one in the form of an afterparty that offered free drinks, free pink boxer shorts, and a free Kim Petras DJ set to all guests. Those at home can still get their own piece. Offerings from the autumn collection and Atelier line shown on the runway were made available online immediately.
