Balmain x H&M: New York runway show extravaganza

The Balmain x H&M collection made its runway debut in New York last night.

It's one of the most eagerly anticipated launches on the fashion calendar, so it's no surprise that Balmain x H&M chose to launch the collection with a major catwalk event - think supermodels, a celebrity front row and a major musical performance.

Wall Street, New York was the venue for the event which saw Olivier Rousteing's already much publicised designs, make their way down the catwalk for a global audience (the show was livestreamed on Periscope).

The evening began with dance troupes getting the crowd ready for the main event. Given Rousteing's penchant for supermodels, it's no surprise that the casting for the catwalk show included the likes of Karlie Kloss, Alessandra Ambrosio, Joan Smalls, Bella Hadid and of course the collection's campaign stars - Jourdan Dunn, Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner.

The big surprise of the night was a musical performance from 90s boyband The Backstreet Boys who entertained the crowd with their classic 90s hits.

A celebrity front row is mandatory at any self-respecting catwalk show, for this particular event that included Kylie Jenner, Lewis Hamilton, Diane Kruger and Alexa Chung.

"Tonight has been a dream come true for me. The energy and vibe are unbelievable, and to have The Backstreet Boys perform just for Balmain x H&M was incredible." Commented Rousteing.

"It is an honour for me to be collaborating with H&M, and tonight's launch is something that I will never forget."

Yesterday saw the release of a teaser video of the campaign film starring Kendall Jenner in a music style video.

The collection will be available in 250 stores worldwide and online on November 5th, hm.com