Dandies, Antoinette and Iris van Herpen: 26 Fashion exhibitions of 2025

Those looking to fill their 2025 diaries with cultural outings are in for a treat. A number of intriguing fashion (-related) exhibitions have already been announced both home and away, with several currently already on display in museums. This is FashionUnited’s selection for the coming year.

Opening in 2025

Du Coeur À La Main: Dolce & Gabbana – Grand Palais, Paris

Du Coeur À La Main (meaning: From the Heart to the Hands) will be travelling from Milan to Paris in January, taking over the city’s Grand Palais with an amalgamation of 200 creations from the Italian fashion house, Dolce & Gabbana. The brand’s approach to design is explored through inspirational outlets like architecture, opera and visual art, intending to provide visitors with an immersive experience of Dolce & Gabbana’s world.

Spanning: 10 January to March 31, 2025

Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style – The Design Museum, London

What role has design played in people’s relationship with swimming? The Design Museum in London will dive into this theme for its upcoming exhibition. Visitors can expect to see various types of swimwear (from around 1920 to the present day), as well as explorations of deeper themes such as environmental issues and body image.

Spanning: 28 March 2025 to 17 August 2025

Cartier – V&A South Kensington, London

What has been described as the UK’s first major retrospective in almost 30 years for the fine goods brand, ‘Cartier’ takes an intricate look into the workings of the famed fashion house. Featuring more than 350 jewellery and watch items, the exhibition will chart the evolution of Cartier, from its founding to its current status as a globally recognised player, decorating royalty and celebrities from all over the world. Among the notable features is that of works lent by His Majesty The King from the royal collections, as well as archival objects and their respective unseen drawings.

Spanning: 12 April to 16 November, 2025

Superfine: Tailoring Black Style – Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

This spring, the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will focus on the ‘Black Dandy’. According to the museum’s website, the exhibition specifically examines the significance of sartorial style in the formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora. The term ‘dandy’ is often used to describe a man who attaches great importance to style and has a disciplined approach to it.

“Dandyism was initially imposed on Black men in 18th-century Europe when the Atlantic slave trade and an emerging culture of consumerism created a trend of fashionably dressed, or dandified, servants. Dandyism offered Black people the opportunity to use clothing, gestures, irony and humour to transform their ascribed identity and devise new ways of embodying political and social possibilities.”

The exhibition also serves as the theme for the annual Met Gala, which takes place on the first Monday in May.

Spanning: 10 May to 26 October, 2025

Design and Disability – V&A South Kensington, London

‘Design and Disability’ intends to serve both as a celebration and a call to action for design as a whole, showing how disabled, Deaf, and neurodiverse people and communities have remained important and radical contributors to the industry. Through fashion, photography, art and more, the exhibition puts objects designed by disabled people themselves on a pedestal to demonstrate how creation can be more equitable and accessible.

Spanning: 17 June, 2025, to 15 February, 2026

Blitz: The Club that Shaped the 80’s – The Design Museum, London

London’s Blitz club was a significant cultural hub in the 1980s. Not only did it influence musical trends, but flamboyant fashion was also a key element. The exhibition will feature garments, drawings, photographs, and videos to paint a complete picture of the club's influence.

Spanning: 19 September, 2025, to 29 March, 2026

Marie Antoinette Style – V&A South Kensington, London

A definitive figure of 18th century France, former Queen Marie Antoinette’s legacy has long outlived her ill-fate, influencing over 250 years of design, fashion and film. Through everything from objects and media to couturier’s gowns, this exhibition will ask the question of why Antoinette’s reigning influence has prevailed, exploring the complex figure who has retained somewhat of a timeless appeal.

Spanning: 20 September, 2025, to 22 March, 2026

Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses – Kunsthal Rotterdam

The name of this exhibition may ring a bell. If it sounds familiar, that's because it debuted in Paris. In 2025, ‘Iris van Herpen. Sculpting the Senses’ will travel to the Netherlands and will be on display at the Kunsthal Rotterdam. The retrospective brings together fashion, contemporary art, design and science and "is a sensory exploration of the designer’s universe".

Spanning: 27 September, 2025, to 2 March, 2026

Catwalk! – Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein

Catwalks are essential components of the fashion industry and can be the stage for "magical moments", according to the Vitra Design Museum, which in its forthcoming exhibition will bring together stage design, clothing, lighting, sound and the art of performance – a work of art in itself.

The museum explores the evolution of fashion shows and takes a look behind the scenes, from the first ‘salons’ around 1900 to the spectacular events of today. Visitors can expect videos and photographs, as well as various garments, invitations and stage décor.

Spanning: 25 October, 2025, to 15 February, 2026

Bonus: Untitled Exhibition – Louvre, Paris

Although this exhibition is scheduled to take place soon, very little is known about it. News reports emerged in autumn 2023 suggested that the Louvre would be staging its own fashion exhibition. At that time, the exhibition did not yet have a name, and at the time of writing, no such exhibition can be found on the Parisian museum’s website. The opening date of 24 January 2025 was, however, revealed in the media reports.

Several designers draw inspiration from the contents of the Louvre, including the late Karl Lagerfeld. Therefore, the museum is exploring the influence that museums can have on fashion designers.

Spanning: 24 January to 21 July, 2025

Catch it while you can…

In addition to those to look forward to, here are some exhibitions that are still running. To ensure you don’t miss them, we have listed them in order of closing date.

This article was written with contributions from Caitlyn Terra and Rachel Douglass. It has been partially translated from FashionUnited.NL using an AI tool.