H&M will return to London Fashion Week on 17 September 2026, partnering with photographer Nick Knight and digital fashion platform SHOWstudio to reconsider how a runway show can work.




The fashion brand said the presentation would explore self-expression, human connection, creative innovation and wider access to fashion. WWD first reported the announcement, with H&M describing the event as a departure from its previous London show.




At H&M, Ann-Sofie Johansson, Creative Adviser and Head of Design for Womenswear, said: “Our 2025 London Fashion Week event was a defining moment for the brand, so we are excited to be returning to the schedule to shake things up again.”




Johansson said London’s position as a creative hub, along with the support of the British Fashion Council, contributed to H&M’s decision to return. The show will form part of the Spring 2027 schedule alongside brands including Mulberry and Alexander McQueen.




It will also coincide with Marks & Spencer’s London Fashion Week runway debut this autumn, where the retailer will unveil a shoppable womenswear and menswear collection that customers can buy immediately online, in flagship UK stores and across key international markets.




The debut coincides with the British retailer’s 100th year in the fashion industry.





A shift from H&M’s 2025 show


H&M’s September 2025 presentation at 180 Strand combined a catwalk with music, performance, styling and audience participation. The event unfolded across three acts and concluded with a performance by South London musician Lola Young.




Seating 700 guests, the activation was part runway, part concert, part living magazine. Set in the architecturally striking courtyard of the 180 complex, models were surrounded by monumental screens and a dynamic soundscape, bringing energy and movement to disrupt the expected catwalk experience.




The earlier show also used a see-now-buy-now model, with selected pieces made available online immediately and the remaining collection released later in the season. H&M said its 2026 presentation would adopt a different format, although it has not disclosed how the commercial element will operate.




Knight said the runway “needs to constantly change and push creative boundaries”, adding that the partnership would explore new ways of presenting fashion while “asking questions of what a runway show can be.”




SHOWstudio was founded by Knight in 2000 as an online fashion platform. According to the company, its work has explored digital forms of fashion communication, including fashion films, live-streamed runway shows and photo shoots, 3D imaging, avatar creation, artificial intelligence and interactive projects.