Event Architect: Meet Christopher Mills
Perfectly quaffed hair, purposefully mismatched rings, and wrapped up in a bold, vintage ensemble—if the word ‘fabulous’ could sprout legs and saunter out of the Oxford English Dictionary, Christopher Mills is just about what you’d picture.
‘I’m a creative enigma, a bit of an alien,’ says Christopher, ‘I exist in this world to challenge preconceptions, I am neither here nor there... that is the most authentic explanation of the true Christopher Mills.’
Christopher’s head wears many gorgeous hats: mastermind behind immersive events agency The Events Mill, BBCThree presenter, and, most importantly, columnist for LONDNR Magazine. Imagination is the linchpin of their career, and as luxury party architect, Christopher’s specialty is taking dreams from REM to reality. ‘Metamorphic moments’, as Christopher calls them, are the main export of The Events Mill.
It’s been a long road for Christopher, who started admirably young. Their account of a primary school show says it all: ‘I remember creating these immersive experiences for older people. They could come to our school for a concert. It wasn’t much, but we would have performers dressed in military uniform, regaling them with retro tunes. It allowed the elderly to feel they were being serenaded by vintage singers—they could escape reality, be transported back to their youth.’
These days, the events are of a different scale, whilst keeping that same transformative essence. Christopher shared the details of the most extraordinary event to date, a dinner focused on the fleeting phenomena of the natural world. Called ‘A State of Flux’, the room with filled with elements from various biomes. From giant orca puppets to fans blowing hot, desert air, as Christopher shared, ‘guests were completely enveloped in the environments we were creating’.
The evening was fastidiously tailor-made, with delicate touches like the release of a blue monarch butterfly to signal the end of the night. The cavernous room was by turns filled with swirling sandstorms, schools of fish, and a sixty-foot table carved of ice. Sounds impossible? It’s a Tuesday night for Christopher Mills.
Want more juicy examples? There have been dinners a thousand feet underground in a Mexican crystal cave, and six-foot chandeliers adorning a woodland for a private banquet. And when approached by a descendant of Titanic passengers, Christopher organised a romantic underwater engagement, on a submersible, amidst the actual shipwreck (these adventurers survived, unlike the famous submersible group of 2023).
Orchestrating high-octane events for nearly twenty years, Christopher retains an impressive contact list, from royals to Rolling Stones to fixers from Monaco. But while maintaining this gift of glamour, they also use their magic for good. They design events for humanitarian charities like War Child—for whom Christopher is a devoted supporter.
‘I’ve always been taught to be curious–that's the most important thing.’
What informs this glittering career is the importance Christopher places on being a multisensory individual. ‘Taste, touch, texture, smell. In my work I explore that a lot. With my clothing too. I see it very much as a creative armour.’
Sources of inspiration can come from anywhere. You’d think Christopher syphons their imagination out of a glorious fountain somewhere, but the minutiae of everyday life counts too. ‘I can be inspired by anything, and anybody. Things I read, things I taste. I’ve always been taught to be curious–that's the most important thing.’ Christopher continues by highlighting a personal love of nostalgia, ‘it enables you to be transported somewhere.’ Their most precious inspiration? ‘My granny’s house, and seeing her with her blunt knives, in her pinny.’
As a creative, whose industry sits squarely at the intersection of food and fashion, Christopher sees these two realms as going beyond practicality, stating, ‘I think they’re very community-based, and steeped in love. It’s not just about function.’
Christopher’s fondness for great experiences lends itself rather seamlessly to musings about the world around us. Their column, ‘The Weekly News Muse’ serves as a guide for the adventurous and eager Londoner. With a discerning eye and that joie de vivre, Christopher is an authority worth respecting– the ultimate tastemaker. Reading this guide of ‘what to do’ and ‘where to go’ will open new doors in a city we all get tired of sometimes. It’s easy to get trapped in our own bubble – but this weekly digest of new openings, wild cards, and secret spots will turn the key and allow you passage to unknown thrills. Thank us later.
