The Art Of Design: 8 Fashion Exhibitions Around The World

The fashion world is boldly staking its claim on the global art map, with exhibitions in some of the most hallowed institutions of fine art around the world. From comprehensive retrospectives to interdisciplinary shows and philosophical examinations, this season’s programming has something for every lover of fashion and art.

Louvre Couture. Art and Fashion: Statement Piece
Paris, France
Until 21 July 2025

The name “Louvre” is shorthand for “world-class museum” – the pithy social media catchphrase “put it in the Louvre” means “this is art”. Hence, the Louvre Museum’s first-ever fashion exhibition may be the final step towards a general appreciation of fashion as art, not just business. In fact, rather than occupying a separate exhibition space, the 65 couture looks in the show are displayed throughout the galleries of the Department of Decorative Arts. Their positioning and styling highlight connections to the museum’s permanent collection, weaving a web of inspiration, attribution, implied themes and overt references, while also showing the shared heritage of craft and techniques employed in the decorative arts.

[Images courtesy of Le Louvre]

Leigh Bowery!
London, UK
Until 31 August 2025

Leigh Bowery was a larger-than-life presence in the worlds of art, fashion, nightlife and music. The Tate Modern’s retrospective offers an overwhelming wealth of original costumes, props, mementoes, diaries, videos and photographs, as well as countless portraits – including the well-known oil painting by Lucian Freud. Taken together, they give a palpable sense of an impressive figure, impossible to pigeonhole as just one thing. Bowery was a seminal artist, performer, model, TV personality, club promoter, fashion designer and musician, but above all, he was a work of art. This exhibition is a fitting tribute to the outsized influence he had during his short 33 years on earth.

[Images courtesy of the Michael Hoppen Gallery © Fergus Greer]

Superfine: Tailoring Black Style
New York, USA
10 May – 26 October 2025

The Met Costume Institute’s annual spring exhibition offers a departure from its recent shows. After a string of vague or broad themes dotted with solo exhibitions, this year’s title promises a laser-focused examination of a specific niche: the black dandy, from the 18th century to today. Mingled with the sense of anticipation, there’s a certain worry that the museum could get it wrong, but so far, it looks like they’ve gotten many things right. For the first time ever, the institute will feature only designers of colour. Every other detail of the exhibition and the opening Met Gala event – from guest curation to official photography, from custom-made mannequin heads to conceptual design for the galleries, and from the Gala co-chairs to the chef in charge of the event’s menu – will also be masterminded by contributors of colour.

[Images courtesy of The Met]

Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style
London, UK
28 March – 17 August 2025

Although the history of swimwear goes back to the 18th century, a time when aquatic activities were more accurately described as ‘bathing’, the origins of what we would recognise as a swimsuit today lie in the early 20th century; this spring and summer, the Design Museum will explore the development of swimming and style since the 1920s. Early models are on display, as well as more recent innovations, both technical (like the full-length “sharkskin” suit that allegedly helped Michael Phelps set one speed record after the other) and sartorial (think: gender-neutral swimwear). Pamela Anderson’s red Baywatch swimsuit, the most iconic item featured, drives home the central point: when we swim, the relationship between our bodies and the water is shaped by design.

[Image courtesy of  The Design Museum © Ackerman + Gruber]