Inside the grand halls of One Hanson Place in Brooklyn, operatic music echoed, champagne towers flowed, and blooming flowers were arranged in sculptural displays throughout the gilded Art Deco venue—once the headquarters of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank. The occasion? H&M’s latest designer collaboration with Magda Butrym, launching April 24.
Guests arrived dressed on-theme in spring florals, clinking sparkling glasses of champagne as they gathered to watch it-girls and models debut the unreleased collection. Chloë Sevigny, Iris Law, Nara Smith, Irina Shayk, Amelia Gray, and Valentina Sampaio posed in front of a dramatic pleated silk installation. Smith stunned in a cherry-red mini dress cascading with floral appliqués, while Sevigny paired a black floral mini with a cropped leather jacket.
“I think the most different thing for me is, I’m very private. I never show up, I never do pictures, so it’s completely out of my comfort zone,” Butrym said with a laugh, just after having her own photo taken on the step-and-repeat. “It’s overwhelming. It’s unbelievable. I never dreamed about this. So it’s really, really special.”
Butrym brought her signature Slavic sensibility to the decadent old-world interiors. White lace crochet details adorned tables and lounge chairs, while cocktails were served from behind the old bank teller windows. The 63-foot domed ceiling—with its suspended ornate lighting and gilded embellishments—offered a striking contrast to the profusion of live flowers, another Butrym trademark.
“Personally, what I will wear the most from the new collection is the leather coat because I like those simple things,” said Butrym, clad in a cropped leather jacket from her runway line. “But I think as a fashion piece, I like the Bloom Naked sandals. Maybe it’s not that practical, but when you have it in your wardrobe, it feels like something special.”
Conversation and cocktails flowed late into the night with DJ sets by Soo Joo and Fifi, and performances by Charlotte Lawrence and Kelela, all staged in the grand chancel. The energy was distinctly feminine, with an all-women lineup supporting both Butrym and Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M’s Head of Design.
“She mixes something very feminine with something a bit masculine,” said Johansson. “She has such a strong DNA. You immediately recognize Magda.”
Endless photos were snapped amid the floral installations, and audible wishlists circulated throughout the crowd. The celebration continued until the stroke of midnight—inside a venue as enchanting as the collection itself.
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