H&M's London Party Doubled as a Charli XCX Concert

Charli looked powerful in head-to-toe leather, wearing a boxy jacket, pencil skirt and knee-high heeled boots (She’d later slip into a sexy jersey dress from H&M’s upcoming Studio Collection). Gray styled her mini skirt and jacket set with a ribbed tank she cut off herself. Party dresses were very short and tank tops very sheer — fun and flirty, but definitely not ideal for the night’s chilly autumn wind.

Once inside the Copper Box Arena, temperatures were much warmer with guests cast in neon green lights, and sipping open bar cocktails with cheeseburgers and fried pork buns. This wasn’t a traditional Fashion Week affair, with no overt H&M logos in sight. In many ways, September 12 served as a full reset for the global fashion brand, using a real club night as the primary platform to showcase their new fashion.

After a choreographed group dance in matching H&M tanks, Charli’s now-iconic Brat curtain dropped among a dramatic billow of smoke. Almost instantly, the crowd surged forward in an excited rush, as the singer emerged on stage. “Get the fuck up on someone’s shoulders," she screamed and the audience immediately followed orders. As Charli’s longtime stylist Chris Horan posted on Instagram: “Have you ever seen people on shoulders for a brand event?” I, for one, have not.

She rolled through the majority of Brat, including her Billie Eilish-assisted hit “Guess” (produced by PAPER cover star The Dare). Behind her, the word “Party” hung in capital letters. Behind me, a fan nearly blew out my ears scream-singing the lyrics: “You wanna guess the color of my underwear!” Charli certainly has this effect on people, as noted by H&M Creative Advisor Ann-Sofie Johansson. “She is a symbol of the freedom, drive, self-confidence and reinvention that are essential to fashion,” she says, “and to all that H&M does.”

The party went beyond midnight, catered specifically to all the “365 Party Girls” in attendance — and Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg self-identifies as one. “You’ve got to be ready at the drop of a hat to party,” she told PAPER, offering us a helpful life tip: “You also have to have the mindset that it could be fun, so just leave your house.”

As for Spanish actor Manu Rios, who arrived in a laid-back H&M jacket and jeans, his approach to partying is admittedly less intense. “I have my moments,” he said. “I’m a very chill person in general, but if I’m in the mood I like to party. It’s a balance.” When Rios does go out, his survival tip is quite simple: “Definitely drink some water, stay hydrated,” he said. “I like to mix my drink sometimes with water because it helps me not lose my mind so much.”

You know it’s a good party when The Cobrasnake can be spotted expertly weaving through the crowd and flashing his camera in guests’ faces, vodka spritzes sloshing onto the floor. You also know it’s good when Charli XCX, the club rat herself, openly approves: “H&M knows how to throw a cool party,” she said in black wraparound sunglasses, strutting confidently from stage right to left. "They really spent a lot of money on this."

This marks the beginning of a series of 12 different H&M activations in eight cities around the world, including a stop in New York hosted by Gray. "These events are a perfect way to celebrate," said H&M Creative Director Jörgen Andersson. "We are bringing together communities, celebrating local talent and making the case for H&M's history in the amazing intersection between fashion and music."

Photos courtesy of H&M