Fashion, for all its supposed superficiality, has contributed significantly to the culture, as we know it. Whether it is via the platform it provides homegrown craftspeople, the collaborations it engages in—from the world of art all the way to culinary—or the glitz it lends leaders across industries, which would remain in the headlines for generations, fashion has a crucial role to play, beyond as a supplier of fancy dresses and pretty purses. That’s why, these fashion exhibitions in 2023 are more than deserving of your attention. Read on and add these to your itinerary when you’re travelling the world this year.
LV Dream
Creative exchanges have been a cornerstone at Louis Vuitton for over 160 years. It has expanded the house’s universe in ways that no one knew was possible. LV Dream offers a glimpse into history as it puts the brand’s artistic partnerships on display. Through a number of vintage and contemporary pieces, scattered across nine rooms, guests will embark on an immersive journey through time and see the most definitive collaborations that have taken place at Louis Vuitton. There’s also a café and chocolate shop helmed by the Cheval Blanc Paris Chef-pâtissier Maxime Frédéric on-site.
Dates: 12th December 2022 – 15th November 2023
Venue: 2 rue du Pont Neuf – Paris 1er / Former Belle Jardinière department store
Parasitic : Onitsuka
A full-blown Japanese love affair is happening at Onitsuka Tiger’s London flagship store as the brand taps homegrown artist Izumi Kato for Parasitic : Onitsuka. Recognised for his paintings and sculptures of unsettling yet oddly endearing humanoid creatures, Kato infuses his signature idiosyncrasies into various Onitsuka Tiger sneakers and shoeboxes, and creates mixed-media pieces that pay tribute to the brand. The new artworks are an evolution from Kato’s previous Plastic Model Series, which features sculptures that combine his signature figures with ready-made products.
Dates: 17th June – 22nd September 2023
Venue: Tiger Gallery at Onitsuka Tiger, 249-251 Regent Street, London
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Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty
Last call! Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty is concluding its run next month, so if, like us, you’re still not over all the killer looks at the recently wrapped Met Gala, you might want to book your tickets today. Featuring the outstanding works of the late designer extraordinaire—from the 1950s to his final collection in 2019—the exhibition provides rare insights into Lagerfeld’s singular approach. The 150 pieces on display, coupled with the German-born creative’s sketches, illustrate his diverse and prolific body of work, collected from his time at Balmain, Patou, Chloé, Fendi, Chanel, and his eponymous label.
Dates: 5th May – 16th July 2023
Venue: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue New York
Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto
If Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty isn’t enough to satiate your hunger for Chanel content, book a slot for Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto. The exposition will parade over 200 exquisite looks including the archive pieces from the house’s heritage collections as it looks into the French couturière’s design evolution from 1910 to 1971—the year her final collection was shown. While the exhibition promises tweed jackets and tailored trousers aplenty, spectators can also expect a significant showing of jewellery, accessories, cosmetics, and fragrances.
Dates: 16 September 2023 – 25th February 2024
Venue: Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road London SW7 2RL
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Andy Warhol: The Textiles
Did you know that before those culture-shaping Campbell’s Soup Can and Marilyn Diptych paintings, Andy Warhol first dabbled in the world of fabrics? Andy Warhol: The Textiles explores this unseen side of the pop artist’s storied career. The exhibition chronicles Warhol’s days as a commercial designer and illustrator in the 1950s and early 1960s through over 45 of his textile patterns, which depict an array of colourful objects such as ice cream sundaes, toffee apples, and jumping clowns displayed both as fabric lengths and as garments.
Dates: 31st March – 10th September 2023
Venue: Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street London SE1 3XF
Iris van Herpen. Sculpting the Senses
The meteoric rise of Iris van Herpen since the foundation of her eponymous brand in 2007 is one for the books. Shining a light on her continuous effort and audacity in challenging the idea of Haute Couture, Musée des Arts Décoratifs will host a retrospective on the Dutch fashion designer. Here, van Herpen’s inimitable oeuvre is dissected into eight themes and across one hundred dresses, artworks, installations, videos, photographs, and works from natural history. An immersive experience is all but guaranteed with an accompanying sound work produced by Salvador Breed.
Dates: 29th November 2023 – 28th April 2024
Venue: Musée des Arts Décoratifs, 107, rue de Rivoli 75001 Paris
Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender
One of the pioneering names in the fashion scene today is getting a star treatment with a major survey exhibition. Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender gives an insight into Ashish Gupta’s subversive and spirited creations, demonstrated in more than 60 designs on display. One of the main highlights of the event is none other than Gupta’s hyper-politicised slogans that embellish the garments. The exhibition also features a new film and photography commission by Ashish Shah, exploring the ways Ashish’s clothes intersect the cultural relationships between India and the West.
Dates: Until 10th September 2023
Venue: William Morris Gallery, Lloyd Park, Forest Road Walthamstow London E17 4PP
Azzedine Alaïa, Arthur Elgort. Freedom.
Fashion and photography intertwine in Azzedine Alaïa, Arthur Elgort. Freedom. Examining the relationship between the two through the lens of Azzedine Alaïa and Arthur Elgort’s friendship, the exhibition puts forth 30 of Elgort’s iconic and confidential photographs essential to the designer’s iconography. Snapshots of supermodels like Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Stephanie Seymour, and Christy Turlington in Alaïa’s most notable clothes are featured prominently as they represent a new form of expression where two artistic approaches come together in a harmonious blend.
Dates: 23rd January to 20th August 2023
Venue: Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, 18 Rue de la Verrerie 75004 Paris
Ramble in the Cosmos – From Primeval Fireball Onward
Reiterating its commitment to championing various creative fields, Saint Laurent partners with The National Art Centre Tokyo to present Ramble in the Cosmos – From Primeval Fireball Onward—a solo showcase by renowned artist Cai Guo-Qiang. The exhibition will elevate a dialogue with the universe and the unseen world as a core theme, and feature about fifty works from the artist’s collection including the iconic screen painting installation Primeval Fireball as well as from major public art museums in Japan.
Dates: 29th June – 21st August 2023
Venue: The National Art Centre Tokyo, 7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-8558 Japan
Yves Saint Laurent: Transparencies
For a fashion-focused Saint Laurent exhibition, head to Museum for Lace and Fashion. Yves Saint Laurent: Transparencies is a co-production between the institution and Yves Saint Laurent Museum, and it observes the designer’s ingenuity in using the transparent effects of fabrics to reveal the female body. This notion is supported by no less than 60 artefacts from the Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent Foundation and Museum for Lace and Fashion’s collections, and complemented by accessories, drawings, photographs, as well as an illustrated book.
Dates: 24th June – 12th November 2023
Venue: Museum of Lace and Fashion, 135, quai du Commerce 62100 Calais