10 fashion exhibitions to visit in 2020

The new year is coming, which means that we can look forward to a whole lot of new exhibitions. For those who already want to make their agenda available for a visit, FashionUnited already selects various fashion exhibitions at home and abroad.

Exhibitions that are already open

Before the list with all new exhibitions scheduled to open in the new year, here is a list of those that have been running for a while. For a last minute visit at the start of the year, or a nice day trip around Christmas.

Zandra Rhodes: Fifty Years of Fabulous

worthwhile is the exhibition on fashion designer Zandra Rhodes in London. Rhodes is known for its unique and outspoken prints, and it is not for nothing that she was initially inspired by the art movement pop art. In total there are a hundred looks and 50 fabric samples to admire.

The exhibition can be visited until 26 January in the Fashion and Textile Museum in London.

Marche et démarche: a history of the chaussure

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs has been focused on shoes since this fall. The exhibition zooms in on the different ways of walking, from the Middle Ages to the present day, from the West to non-European cultures. The French exhibition has a Dutch touch with the work of designer Karim Adduchi, which is exhibited among other things. More than five hundred objects are on display.

The exhibition can be visited until 23 February at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

Beeld: Kunsthal/ Marco de Swart

Thierry Mugler Couturissime

Designer Thierry Mugler had never said 'Yes' to a proposal to make an exhibition about his work. Until he met Nathalie Bondil, general director and chief curator of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The result is the exhibition 'Thierry Mugler Couturissime', which is now visiting Europe for the first time with the opening in the Kunsthal in Rotterdam. The multimedia approach of the exhibition deserves a special mention. Not only videos and sounds have been added to the set-up, but also the 4D presentation in one of the rooms and the projections on the walls in another are worthwhile.

The exhibition can be visited until 8 March in the Kunsthal in Rotterdam.

In Pursuit of Fashion

The Sandy Schreier Collection is central to the current fashion exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Schreier collected garments from French and American couture and ready-to-wear from the last century. Not as his own wardrobe, but as an appreciation of fashion as a form of expressing creativity.

The exhibition can be visited until 17 May in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Exhibitions to be opened in 2020

Christian Louboutin: l'Exposition

An exclusive look at Christian Louboutin's personal archive, who wouldn't want that? The Palais de la Porte Dorée in Paris is organising an exhibition this spring about the illustrious shoe designer who became world-famous with the red soles of his designs. Many court cases have been brought against the trademark, but of course that is not the focus of the exhibition. The creative process and the inspiration that the designer gained for his collections will also come to light.

The exhibition can be visited from 25 February to 26 July 2020 at the Palais de la Porte Dorée in Paris.

Photo: Star Wars courtesy of LucasFilm Ltd

Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk

From costumes for Star Wars movies to an Alexander McQueen dress designed for singer Björk. While many people will immediately think of traditional Japanese clothing when they hear the word kimono, the word now refers to many more pieces of clothing than was initially thought. That's where the Victoria & Albert Museum comes in. The exhibition includes 315 items that tell the story of the kimono from 1660 to the present day.

The exhibition can be visited from 29 February to 21 June 2020 at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

Bags: Inside Out

A bag often says a lot about the wearer. What do you carry, does he or she go for something practical or just a statement? The new exhibition of the Victoria & Albert Museum looks at the function, status and craftsmanship behind a bag. More than 300 objects are used to illustrate the theme. Bags from the royal family, but also from other celebrities and well-known fashion houses are given a place in the show.

The exhibition can be visited from 25 April to 31 January 2021 at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

About Time: Fashion and Duration

For the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2020 will be marked by its 150th anniversary. This year's major annual fashion exhibition, which is linked to the Met Gala, will be devoted to 'time'. What exactly the show will look like is not yet known, the description on the website of the museum still raises questions. For example, the clothing will be exhibited from 1870 to the present day, 'according to a disruptive timeline'. Only time will tell…

The exhibition can be visited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from 7 May to 7 September.

Prada. Front and Back

In 2020, the Design Museum in London will present a fashion exhibition with a focus on fashion house Prada. The exact opening date has not yet been announced, but the opening is expected in September. The exhibition zooms in on the creative process, the inspiration and the important collections of Prada.

The exhibition can be visited from September in the Design Museum in London. Tickets will be on sale next spring.

Photo: V&A door Adrien Dirand

Dior

Christian Dior has been in the limelight for many years. First at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and then at the Victoria & Albert Museum in early 2019. When the show opened in London, the Art Museum in The Hague was asked if they also thought of a show about the French designer. An exhibition about Dior turned out to be already in the making and will finally see the light of day in 2020. The illustrious designer himself will of course be featured, but also his successors Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri.

The exhibition can be visited from 10 October to 28 February 2021 in the Kunstmuseum in The Hague.

This article was originally published for FashionUnited.NL, edited and translated.

Main image: V&A by Adrien Dirand