Pigeons, Thigh-Highs & Plaid: Inside H&M & Glenn Martens’ Launch Party

Nobody in fashion is as playful as Glenn Martens, and nobody is also (probably) as busy as him. Besides his day jobs designing for Diesel and now Maison Margiela, he found the time to codesign a collection with H&M under his name, the first time in over a decade he’s done so. For someone with more fashion than is humanly normal under his purview, he was decidedly all smiles at the launch event in London, where several generations of Brits gathered to toast to his quirked-up take on wardrobe and party staples.

Indeed, the theme of the night was British oddity. As soon as guests stepped into the entryway of Skinners’ Hall, an almost 400-year-old guild house, they were greeted by a 30-foot pigeon-shaped hedge. The step and repeat was flanked by two corgis, which campaign star Richard E. Grant, Jodie Turner-Smith, Delilah Belle, Richie Shazam, and Gabbriette gamely posed next to (and on top of). Inside, there were cute British waiters passing around classic English bites (think: tea sandwiches, caviar and crisps) dressed in trompe l’oeil skirts from the collection, plus a smattering of DJs who took the stage, including Sugababes, The Dare, and Chloe Caillat.

The celebration over three floors was a tribute to the oddities of British culture, and also excellent people watching to see how Martens’ collection can be styled. It follows that the classic proportions from his tenure at Y/Project are on full display — given that the brand shut down shortly after Martens departed in late 2024 — which include slinky, high-slit slips in denim and silk, gargantuan slouchy boots (I got a particularly enchanting lesson in styling them from Turner-Smith), and all manner of crinkly fashion. The bomber jacket and top-handle bags are moldable, depending on how much room you plan to take up wherever you wear them. The codes of his past meet up with British sensibilities; plaid, the pattern of fall 2025, makes an appearance, ditto mackintosh coats, argyle-sweater prints, and classic Oxford shirts.

This fusion of history and future-mania make for a smashing collection — and a smashing party. After guests (including this writer) imbibed in enough champagne and negronis, the dessert table offering up classic British fare like Battenberg cake, chocolate and raspberry tarts, and candied cherries. Joe Locke and Gabbriette also posed with (and most likely did not eat) a gelatinous pigeon, and while most of the food sat untouched, the feeling that we were all misfits at a massive royal gathering lent the night an air of irreverence — not unlike the clothes VIPs were wearing. In true London style, the rain saw partygoers out well past midnight as they shuffled back home into reality.

The H&M Glenn Martens collection is available on hm.com and in select stores on October 30.