London Fashion Week has no shortage of attention-grabbing moments, but at 180 The Strand the city’s fashion calendar bent in an unexpected direction. H&M’s The London Issue departed from the conventions of a typical runway show, instead unfurling as a day-long takeover.
The programme opened with conversations curated by Perfect Magazine. Not your average stilted panel talk, the event was a vibrant and candid exchange that drew together aspiring fashion students, stylists, and industry observers. Topics ranged from sustainability to the future of style, with a focus on the city’s unique brand of creative disorder.
As the day gave way to evening, the venue itself transformed. 180 The Strand, a Brutalist hub long associated with raves, art shows, and counter-culture, was reimagined by a creative collective including scenography and lighting by Matière Noire. Their staging flooded the corridors with pulsing light and smoke, while visuals from Special Offer cut across the concrete like static from a pirate broadcast.
By the time the audience assembled for the show, the mood had shifted toward the communal. Industry veterans mingled with young attendees who had claimed tickets via social media, underscoring a rare sense of accessibility at fashion week. The absence of barriers—velvet ropes or otherwise—became one of the evening’s most notable departures from tradition.
The soundtrack, performed live by Soulwax & 2manydjs, moved from rave-era nostalgia to glitch-laden futurism, more akin to a headline set than a conventional catwalk backing track. Across three acts—H&M Studio (Act 1), H&M A/W Drop 1 (Act 2, steeped in British rebellion), and H&M A/W Drop 2 (Act 3)—the show unfolded with layered narratives, with H&M Atelier menswear styled throughout. While Act 2 leaned heavily into 1990s Britain, drawing on Britpop silhouettes, leather trenches, and body-skimming dresses, womenswear designer Eliana Masgalos described it as a celebration of “rule-breaking spirit.” Sharp tailoring and modern flourishes rooted the pieces firmly in 2025. The result rebuffed any sickly inclination of nostalgia for its own sake, instead reclaiming and reinvigorating the edge and attitude that once defined British style.
Standout looks included a cropped shearling with distressed denim and delicate jewellery, worn by Angelina Kendall, and a floor-length coat carried by Alex Consani. Movement direction from Harry Alexander meant that models did not simply walk but interacted with the space, each stride emphasising fashion as lived, not static.
Styling by Jacob K helped unify the energy of the three acts, setting the tone before moving into the creative direction. The involvement of Katie Grand as creative consultant on the show was evident throughout: the balance of punk chaos and polish, the collision of high and low, and campaign imagery projected as cinematic postcards across the venue.
The audience composition was as striking as the designs. H&M deliberately widened the circle, drawing not only insiders but also members of the public. In one moment, a teenager in platform boots queued alongside a retired couple who had simply “come for the show” after spotting it online. The effect was a collapse of the exclusivity that typically defines fashion week.
H&M has staged large-scale activations in cities from Los Angeles to New York, but London carries particular weight. Spectacle is commonplace here; authenticity is not. With The London Issue, the brand offered the first chapter of A/W, already available in stores since September 12. Studio drops 25 September, with Atelier and Drop 2 following on October 2.
If you want to shop the collection yourself, check it out here.
