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Photography Sophie Stalder

What went down at the mega Moncler Genius show in London

From a Palm Angels foam party and a rave courtesy of Rick Owens, to performances from Alicia Keys, Little Simz and Cleo Sol, the night was filled with unexpected moments

On Monday night (February 20), Moncler unveiled its latest vision for Moncler Genius by taking over a massive London venue and throwing a huge immersive party. Celebrating the intersection where art, design, entertainment, sport, music and culture all meet, the event kicked off a new era of co-creation for Moncler Genius and put forward its latest cast of collaborators, including adidas Originals, Pharrell Williams, Alicia Keys, Palm Angels, Mercedes-Benz, Roc Nation by Jay-Z, Hiroshi Fujiwara’s Fragment, and American footwear designer Salehe Bembury. Didn’t make it down to the party? Here’s everything you missed.

THE VENUE WAS INSANE AND EVERYONE WAS THERE

Taking place at Olympia London in Kensington, over 10,000 people braved the cold and turned up to see what Moncler had in store for them. Queues circled around all sides of the behemoth building with people waiting patiently for their chance to witness the plethora of ongoings inside. Alongside the general public, the event had a star-studded line-up. Across the two floors of the event, the likes of Naomi Campbell, Charli XCX, Pharrell, Michele Lamy and Rick Owens could be seen getting their own look at all the installations. Other guests included FKA Twigs, Marcus Rashford, Hailey and Justin Bieber, and Dazed 100 girl band Flo.

THERE WERE IMMERSIVE INSTALLATIONS EVERYWHERE

Inside the venue were a number of massive cubes representing a different Genius. With high demand for many of the experiences, queues built up as people waited their turn to get a look at ‘The Art of All’ by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. Using professional sound pods, Jay-Z tapped legendary producer Mike Dean (the man behind Renaissance) to create a community-sourced music project using vocals contributed by guests. 

Elsewhere, adidas Originals enlisted a cast of models wearing its Moncler collection to assemble alongside a conveyor belt, giving guests the feeling of whizzing through a mountain. Stepping out of the adidas space, guests landed bang in the centre of the location, where Mercedes-Benz presented an art piece titled ‘PROJECT MONDO G’ – which was channelling ‘The Art of Imagination’. Elsewhere, Hiroshi Fujiwara staged a robot peepshow with tiny ‘Lovots’ animated to display emotional connection, while designer Salehe Bembury looked towards nature, showing his collection in an immersive room that felt like standing in the centre of a storm. 

PHARRELL CREATED AN INDOOR CAMPING SITE

Quite literally bringing the outdoors inside, Pharell’s installation took glamping to a new level. Entitled ‘The Art of Terrain’, models walked around a green wilderness filled with foliage and moss trees while wearing sneak peeks from his upcoming collection, holding lanterns to light the way. Heavily inspired by camping, the collection was full of functional elements fit for the outdoors, including detachable pockets and sleeves, trousers that can be transformed into shorts, and a picnic blanket which doubles up as a cape – which Pharrell was pictured wearing on the night of the event.

PALM ANGELS THREW A FOAM PARTY WITH BOILER ROOM

Tapping up music platform and party host Boiler Room to help bring its vision to life, Palm Angels’ installation was a unique experience. Using foam to represent Moncler’s association with snow, the room was a real party with music where guests could let loose and be free to enjoy themselves and release their inner children. “The Art of Lightness is related to the infinite possibilities we have inside and outside ourselves. My intention was to create an immersive experience where foam represents a metaphor of the snow, which at the same time refers to a deep sense of peace,” Francesco Ragazzi of Palm Angels explained. Launching later this year, the Palm Angels Genius collection taps into Ragazzi’s fascination with vintage and Americana through his own perspective. 

ALICIA KEYS PUT ON AN EPIC PERFORMANCE

With surprise guest appearances from Little Simz and Cleo Sol, Alicia Keys’ performance was the highlight of the night. Dedicating her show to ‘The Art of Dreaming’, she performed an array of her most famous anthems while wearing a two-piece metallic ensemble from her upcoming collection with Moncler. The capsule collection is said to be inspired by 90s streetwear and (of course) New York City, and will be the first Genius offering to launch next month. 

RICK OWENS DESIGNED A BED AND THREW A PARTY TO END THE NIGHT

As an honorary Genius, Rick Owens focused on ‘The Art of Design’, creating a temperature-controlled soundproof sleep pod made of steel which guests could take turns testing out. Shown in a dimly lit room with moody flashlights, the location also doubled up as an afterparty venue when DJs including Brutalismo 3000 took over the dancefloor. The clothes in the Moncler x Rick Owens capsule also matched the muted palette of the bed, with black and tie-dyed yellow flight jackets, extra-long coats, and puffers. 

DAZED CLUB MEMBERS PHOTOGRAPHED THE ENTIRE EVENT

We sent two Dazed Club members Sophie and Kobi to capture all the mayhem and the results did not disappoint. Despite the crowds, the two rising creatives managed to capture pictures of Pharrell, Michele Lamy, Rick Owens and Alicia Keys during her performance. Other images include shots of the foam party, inside the music studio, the best outfits of the night and close-ups of the installations. Click through the gallery above to check out their images.

For those who could not make it head here to watch the highlights of the event.

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