On an evening in September, family, friends and collaborators gathered together to celebrate htown's fifth birthday. A space that has expanded from an independent concept store and is now a gentle force of energy within London's fashion landscape. A celebration of five years, championing emerging designers, diversity and community.
Birthdays in London typically mean chaos: crowded rooms, loud music, and too many faces. htown’s fifth was different. Instead of noise, there was conversation. Instead of crowds, there was community. The store’s milestone was marked with a dinner— intimate, deliberate, and rooted in the same ethos that have defined the past five years. Held in a softly lit space in the heart of the city, the evening brought together the people who have shaped htown's story—designers, collaborators and friends who have become family.
htown x Sorel
The evening added weight, through a partnership with Sorrel. The footwear brand whose heritage of rugged utility and modern function felt right at home alongside htown’s curated vision of fashion. Just as Sorel crafts products are designed to last, htown has also spent five years solidifying something enduring in London’s fashion scene. A space where independent voices, global designers, and local audiences intersect. Founded in 1962, in Canada. Sorrel is best known for its durable footwear—a staple in climates where resilience isn’t optional. Over the best six decades, the brand has evolved from functional outerwear, into now a label recognised for its balance, durability and design function.
In contrast to the typical fashion anniversaries, guests arrived at a cozy, understated setting. The evening was designed to encourage connection, and food became the language of the night. It was more about the rhythm of eating together—glasses clinking, the flow of dialogue between friends, than it was about culinary excess. In choosing a dinner over a party, htown produced its own environment that reflected its own position in the London Fashion Scene. Depth over noise. Curation over volume. The meal itself was thoughtful and deliberate. Courses arrived slowly, allowing space for conversation. Similarly to Sorel’s approach to design, there was nothing excessive—instead, it was precise, layered, and quietly confident.
Guests were asked what htown means to them, and the responses flowed with love and gratitude. “It’s been instrumental to the early stages of our careers,” said one guest, while another reflected, “It’s bringing people together — people you wouldn’t think to bring together. That’s what htown means to me: togetherness.”
At the centre of it all was a reminder of what represents htown, a hub where clothing is not consumed but contextualized; where collaboration extends beyond product drops into lived experience. The partnership with Sorel highlighted this value —that function and culture, practicality and creativity can all coexist.
Five years in, htown remains more than a store. It’s a platform, a community and a point of reference for London’s ever- evolving fashion scene. And if this dinner proved anything, it's that the next five years will continue to blur lines: between dinner and designs. Here's to whats next.
Words by Caitlin Davidson @caitlindavidsxn