H&M Celebrates SoHo Store Opening With Hunter Schafer, Diane Kruger and More

H&M is back in SoHo, and New York’s fashion crowd is back on the party circuit.

On Wednesday night the brand hosted a cocktail party to celebrate the opening of its boutique at 591 Broadway. Daniel Ervér, a week into his post as chief executive officer after a surprise shake-up last week, was on hand to welcome VIP friends of the brand including Hunter Schafer, Diane Kruger, Amelia Gray Hamlin, Iris Law, Quannah Chasinghorse and Aweng Ade-Chuol.

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“It’s so fresh and modernistic and futuristic. This is the future; it feels communal and fashionable and real. There’s just a real energy to this,” said model and social justice advocate Aaron Rose Philip, taking in the 10,000-square-foot store, which features fitting-room technology like “smart mirrors” and a spacious selling floor. Philip, who uses a wheelchair, has worked with H&M several times and describes the brand as a major supporter. “I feel a togetherness. I’m looking at this gorgeous clothing, and I feel like we’re all united by our love for fashion,” they added.

At several points throughout the evening models paraded the H&M Studio collection around the store’s central staging area, which provided a popular backdrop for personal photo shoots throughout the evening for the many influencers and influencer hopefuls in the crowd. Schafer was game to pose for selfies as she made her way through the boutique, which stretches from Broadway to Mercer Street. But once her glass of Champagne was empty, the photo ops were over. “Sorry, I gotta go!” she told one lingering hopeful on her way out.

With Fashion Week kicking off the next morning, everyone was just getting started.

Launch Gallery: Hunter Schafer, Diane Kruger Celebrate New H&M Soho Store

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