Hilfiger and Hadid turn volume up to 11 to close London fashion week
The Roundhouse in north London could be called a place that has seen it all. It was the venue for the Doors’ first London concert in 1968, concerts for David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix and a Spiral Tribe rave in 1991. But, last night, there was something different: Tommy Hilfiger’s first London fashion show for 20 years. It ensured London fashion week finished with a bang – thanks to Gigi Hadid.
Hadid, with her 37.5m Instagram followers, was the superstar guest that – were this a rock concert – would provoke the screams from the crowd when she opened the show. Her sister Bella and brother Anwar also walked in the show, to a soundtrack of 90s hip-hop.
Hilfiger’s choice of the Roundhouse as a venue recalls the 66-year-old US designer’s early experiences of seeking inspiration in the British capital. “I started to come to London when I was a teen because I wanted to explore the whole lifestyle and I was obsessed with fashion,” he said this week.
He found flair in British bands of the period – naming the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Who, Eric Clapton and Small Faces as influences. “They had a sense of style that was very different to anyone else,” said Hilfiger.
Subtitled Tommy Now: Rock Circus, the theme was – to use an appropriate term – turned up to 11: guests walked through the backstage entrance of the 1,700 capacity venue, flanked by roadie cases.
The audience was A list: it included Lewis Hamilton, Neymar and Sir Philip Green. The after party featured circus performers and a turn from the Chainsmokers, the band that music journalists love to hate but have ability to take on the might of Ed Sheeran in the top 10.
This was part living breathing advertising campaign, part shop window, part concert, part movie – it was streamed live online. While the clothes were something of a footnote to this extravaganza, they fitted in the theme too. With heavy metal style logos, hoodies and biker jackets, they looked like merchandise for a rock show.
The show featured the designer’s collaboration with Hadid along with the main collection. Other pieces included preppy checks, over the knee socks, oversized T-shirts and track suits. The colour palette was unmistakably American: red, white and blue reigned supreme.
The collection was available immediately after the show – explaining why there were also beanies and padded jackets included. Hilfiger is a proponent of the so-called See Now Buy Now model, when clothes can be bought effectively off the runway. Last season, the jeans wore by Hadid sold out before the show finished.
As well as finding them on the website this time around, consumers can buy on social media channels – with a ‘click-to-buy’ function on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, allowing customers to ‘snapshop’.
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