Exhibitions Not To Miss In 2024
This week, at Scarlet Destiny, we’re giving you a roundup of all the top fashion exhibitions that will be going on in 2024. Museums around the world are inviting fashion fans to get up close and personal with established designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Viktor & Rolf and explore lots of new gen designers too.
After 2023’s fabulous exhibitions on Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, Thierry Mugler, Iris van Herpen, Christian Dior and Karl Lagerfeld, this really is the year for fashion! To help you plan, here’s our favourites’ list…
Barbie: The Exhibition at the Design Museum, London
In celebration of the 65th anniversary of the Barbie brand in 2024, the Design Museum will host an exhibition that delves into the Barbie story from a design perspective, encompassing fashion, architecture, furniture, and vehicle design.
For those captivated by the Barbie film and eager to explore more, this expo will offer a deeper dive into the world of Barbie. Starting in the summer, the museum will showcase a 65-year timeline of the iconic doll. The legacy of Barbie traces back to 1959 when Ruth Handler envisioned a new narrative for her daughter Barbara. The exhibition tracks the evolution of one of the world's most renowned dolls through design elements such as fashion, architecture, furniture, and car design. In preparation for this long-anticipated exhibition, the Design Museum obtained access to the Barbie archives in California, and we’re so excited to see what it will bring!
Vivienne Westwood’s wardrobe exhibition at St. James’s, London
From June 14th until June 24th, Christie's auction house will host a two-part public auction featuring items from Vivienne Westwood's wardrobe, and we literally can’t wait. Prior to the auction, these pieces will be on display at their St James's location in a free exhibition that will showcase clothing, shoes, and jewellery from Westwood's renowned fashion house, some dating back to the early 1980s. Some of the highlighted items in the exhibition and auction include a taupe silk taffeta corset gown from Westwood's A/W 1998/99 'Dressed to Scale' collection, a navy blue serge two-piece ensemble from the A/W 1983 'Witches' collection, and a dress/blouse/modesty panel combination from the A/W 2005/06 'Propaganda' collection.
The initial auction will feature large-scale, signed prints of playing cards designed by Westwood to raise awareness on various issues like climate change and social injustice. Proceeds from the print sales will support Greenpeace, while the main auction will raise funds for The Vivienne Foundation (in collaboration with climate crisis-fighting organisations), Amnesty International, and Médecins Sans Frontières.
Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion at MET's Costume Institute, New York
This exhibit is currently already running at the MET in New York and will continue to be open until 2nd September 2024. This dreamy exhibition delves into the concepts of 'rebirth' and 'renewal', metaphorically linking nature to 'transient fashion'. It presents in-depth research, conservation analysis, and innovative technologies to revive and explore the artistic essence of the museum's collection. The use of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, computer-generated imagery, X-ray scans, video animation, light projection, and soundscapes will enhance the viewer's experience too, whilst featuring 250 garments and accessories spanning four centuries. This exhibition has been already reviewed wonderfully by many experts and critics, who are saying that by visiting ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’, we can be reminded that fashion is a form of art too. If you’re in New York this year, don’t miss out!
Liminal Objects at Bicolore, Maison du Danemark in Paris
Le Bicolore, the contemporary art platform of Maison du Danemark, presents a fascinating fashion exhibition that challenges norms by highlighting recycling, upcycling, and artisanal craftsmanship. From March 22 to May 19, 2024, visitors in Paris can visit the venue, situated in the heart of the Champs-Élysées, to explore the creations of eight designers from Nordic countries reshaping the fashion industry. At this exhibit, the distinction between fashion and art blurs, fostering a transformation of ideas and aesthetics. The designers Jenny Hytönen, Ida-Simone Brerup, Fredrik Tjærandsen, Petra Fagerström, Ellen Hodakova, Cassie Augusta Jørgensen, Louise Lyngh Bjerregaard, and Kristine Sehested-Blad have pushed boundaries to redefine creativity: they challenge concepts of material, function, body, and identity in both fashion and art. Their unique pieces truly showcase this innovative approach. If you happen to be in the love capital, make sure to pay this one a visit!
Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Statements at the Kunsthalle, Munich
Germany is honouring the Dutch design pair Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, known as Viktor&Rolf, with an exhibition titled "Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Statements" at the Kunsthalle in Munich this year. The showcase presents over one hundred of their most expressive creations, marking their first significant retrospective in Germany.
Alongside their designs, the exhibition features dolls inspired by antique porcelain dolls, adorned in the duo's iconic handmade outfits. It includes various videos, sketches, and artworks by renowned visual artists like Andreas Gursky, Inez & Vinoodh, and Ellen von Unwerth. This exhibit will run until October 6th 2024, so if you were unsure whether or not to plan a short trip to Munich this year, this is your confirmation.
[information sourced on fashionunited.uk, nytimes.com, londonontheinside.com, independent.co.uk and sortiraparis.com
All images sourced on canva.com]