Come for the clothes - stay for the tunes. Fashion shows wouldn’t be the same without their soundtracks, so we’ve rounded up some of the best. From Britney Spears playing at Balenciaga SS25 to the sound of Charli XCX at Versace SS10, swipe to listen to our picks of the hardest runway music of all time.
A gospel choir at Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton SS24
For Pharrell’s debut collection at Louis Vuitton Men’s, they went above and beyond with every aspect including the soundtrack. Instead of simply plugging an iPhone into the speaker, Pharrell – ever the musician despite his career change – enlisted an entire gospel choir, Voices of Fire, to perform live at the SS24 show, and we’re still not over the soundtrack of a Pharrell-produced song titled “Joy (Unspeakable)”.
David Bowie’s “Heroes” at McQueen SS24
One of the more emotional soundtracks on this list has to be Alexander McQueen’s SS24 show - Creative Director Sarah Burton’s last show at the brand - which played David Bowie’s “Heroes” in a moving close to Burton’s tenure. Talk about a tearjerker.
A Britney Spears remix at Balenciaga SS25
For Demna’s SS25 show, he presented his new collection to the sound of Britney Spears’ “Gimme More”, remixed by BFRND, the creative genius behind almost every sound on the Balenciaga runway in recent years. No doubt, this was easily one of the hardest moments of SS25.
The AI generated playlist at Ganni SS24
For SS24, Ganni enlisted the help of AI to create not only part of its collection but also the soundtrack for the show, and as a result we were treated to one of the trendiest runway playlists on this list. From Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow’s “Industry Baby” to Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s “Barbie World”, the soundtrack had clearly been inspired by what was currently viral on TikTok, throwing in a classic – Daft Punk’s “One More Time” – for good measure.
An a capella medley at Dries Van Noten FW15
Dries Van Noten’s SS15 show, which followed the theme of ‘grounded glamour, had an appropriate soundtrack mixing a cappella versions of songs by Van Noten’s glam muses themselves. The remix included Rihanna’s “Rude Boy”, Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On”, Destiny’s Child’s “Independent Women”, Blondie’s “Rapture”, Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” and tracks by Björk, Jane Birkin, Kylie Minogue as well.
14-year-old Charli XCX for Versace SS10
Back 2009, a fourteen-year-old Charli XCX was enlisted to work on the soundtrack for Versace’s SS10 show, and - thanks to Charli’s pop icon status - it’s become one of the most grailed runway soundtracks in recent history. Donatella Versace really was a Brat over a decade before the rest of us.
Burberry FW24’s ode to Amy Winehouse
For Daniel Lee’s FW24 Burberry show he enlisted the voice of a British icon to soundtrack his collection, opening with Amy Winehouse’s famous song, “No Good”. Safe to say it was an emotional one.
A symphony of music genres at Ahluwalia FW23
Titled “Symphony”, Ahluwalia FW23 collection was inspired by a whole variety of music genres, including Bollywood, hip-hop, house, acrobats, dancehall and more. The show soundtracked live piano renditions of her favourite songs, working with the sound and design studio Woodgrain, saxophonist Solaaris, and contemporary jazz pianist Insxght, and showed a concert hall in London.
When Mk.gee performed at Jil Sander FW24
Back at the start of the year, Mk.gee linked up with collaborator Benji B to perform his new debut album Two Star & The Dream Police live at the Jil Sander FW24 show. Blending genres of R&B, pop, and rock, the album was a perfect match for the collection, and a moment we haven’t forgotten.
Featured image via Louis Vuitton©
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