Celebrating the spirit of fashion, music, and brand collaboration, Mercer Street got into the festive mood on Wednesday night with the H&M Block Party. Hosted by Amelia Gray, the brand presented a variety of events at its SoHo store and neighboring areas, with DJs from Kaytranada, Kitty Cash, and Chanel Tres providing the soundtrack for the evening.
The celebration is part of the brand’s H&M & Collection, a series of collaborative moments taking place in cities around the world, and after Charli XCX’s celebration in London, New York is naturally the next stop. The party kicked off with an in-store discussion moderated by Venus X, discussing the interconnection of style, music and personality. Guests then enjoyed performances from DJs such as Guillaume Bergé, Dam Funk and Heron Preston, and also had the opportunity to check out Preston’s H2 collaboration with the brand, which will launch on October 17.
“I like to take a rule-free approach when designing because everyone should be able to interpret an object however they want without feeling limited to one specific form,” Preston said.
Dressed head-to-toe in H2, Gray worked overtime as the evening’s etiquette mentor, as well as serving as the de facto model for the new collection.
“These pieces are very near and dear to me because Heron was one of the first designers I really admired. I always wanted to go to his shows and I would buy every single thing he made, so to me it feels very personal.” Other special guests celebrating the brand include Emily Ratajkowski, Riley Keogh, Lucky Blue Smith, Nara Smith, Evan Mock, Damson Idris and Mona Tagard.
As night falls, revelers take to the streets to dance, grab a slice of H&M and enjoy the night. The party blurred the lines between street party and trendy celebration as the event mingled with the nearby evening crowd and the music wafted throughout the neighborhood. Residents of apartments above the venue danced on their balconies, and passersby took photos and danced to the music.
The last vestiges of holiday spirit and warm weather remained, and the energy continued even after the music stopped, making for a stylish evening filled with neighborhood connections and friendships. Helen Preston, Amelia Gray Hamlin, Emily Ratajkowski, Lucky Blue Smith, Nora Azizia Smith, Evan Mock, Le Ang Sherman, Ian Isiah, Venus Ratajkowski, Mona Torgade, CT Hayden Kiamari
