LFW: H&M brings Nick Knight, Labrinth and Alex Consani to its A/W 2026 London show

Inside H&M's Most Cinematic Show Yet: A/W26 Just Redefined the Runway

Forget everything you thought you knew about a fashion show. On 17 September, H&M turned London Fashion Week into a full sensory experience with H&M&YOU&I — and honestly? We're still recovering.

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The front row was stacked (Fakemink, Grace van Patten, Jackson White, Audrey Nuna, Diya Joukani and Manu Ríos, to name a few), and South Africa had skin in the game too, with music artists Elaine and Lordkez sitting pretty as friends of the brand. But the real story was what happened on the runway — a 40-metre stretch that felt more like an art installation than a catwalk.

The Opening Act Set the Tone

Brazilian ballerina Ingrid Silva opened the show, her choreography literally illuminating the space before the first look even appeared. Then came Alex Consani in a cropped ivory jacquard jacket over sheer lace, slim white trousers and cream jacquard heels — the opening statement of Drop 1, a womenswear collection steeped in historical opulence. Romantic, precise, and an absolute mood.

The Man Behind the Vision

Creative direction came courtesy of legendary British image-maker Nick Knight CBE, the mind behind SHOWstudio and a longtime disruptor of how fashion gets communicated. For H&M, he went further than ever — blending human connection, art and tech into something genuinely emotional.

"This show is a celebration of creativity, and of human relationships. I wanted to create something that felt romantic, emotional, human and painterly, all while experimenting with new technologies." — Nick Knight, Founder and Director, SHOWstudio

The cast — including Angelina Kendall, Paloma Elsesser, Calum Harper, Karen Elson and Lila Moss — carried the show through its remaining acts: Drop 3's ode to the collector's spirit, the elevated tailoring of H&M Atelier menswear, and Drop 2's sharp, sculptural take on minimalism, lit up (literally) by lights built into the garments themselves.

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The night's biggest flex was a fashion interactive developed by SHOWstudio, built from imagery Knight shot earlier this year with Consani and actor Archie Renaux. Think real-time fashion films generated as physical and digital worlds collided — curved mirrors on one side of the runway, a video installation by Tokyo-born artist Karyn Nakamura on the other. During the H&M Studio segment, the tech came alive again, this time reimagining illustrations by artist Cliff Warner as the models moved.

"Nick Knight is always daring, he never accepts the status quo, and that is an ethos that chimes with all of us at H&M." — Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M Creative Advisor and Head of Design Womenswear

Labrinth produced the show's score, but the real goosebump moment came when Consani and Renaux delivered a spoken word performance built from the lyrics of I Want to Know What Love Is — before the Foreigner classic was performed live, right there on the runway. Consani wore a ruffled cream gown; Renaux, a full H&M Atelier look.

"I loved doing my reading with Archie, what a moment." — Alex Consani

"The music embraced freedom and creativity, inviting the crowd to explore different moods and eras." — Labrinth

Of the 700 guests, a chunk weren't industry insiders at all — they were members of the public who scored tickets via H&M's socials, part of the brand's push to democratise front-row access. Couldn't make it? The pre-show was live-streamed, hosted by Marlon Lundgren Garcia, Leomie Anderson and Julia Hobbs. The night wrapped with an afterparty featuring Kim Petras b2b with u.r.trax, plus sets from Foundation.FM's Lexii, Matty Chiabi, Lagoon and Crystal Waters.

Mark your calendars: H&M Atelier drops locally on 8 October, H&M Studio follows on 15 October, and the full A/W seasonal collection lands in South Africa in March 2027.