Karl Lagerfeld, a passionate admirer of 18th-century interiors, often visited the Louvre and drew inspiration from its exquisite furniture and lacquered screens. To celebrate the museum's nurturing and inspiring role in fashion designer collections, The Louvre Museum is set to host its first fashion-focused exhibition, featuring creations inspired by its extensive decorative arts collection.
Although an official title has not yet been revealed, the exhibition will delve into the influence of historical art on contemporary fashion designers. It is slated to run from January 24 to July 21, 2025, showcasing about 65 ensembles and 30 accessories that will be strategically placed throughout the museum's expansive 9,700 square feet of permanent galleries. Interior architect Nathalie Crinière has been enlisted for the set design. Crinière is well-known for her previous collaborations with curator Gabet on large-scale exhibitions at Les Arts Décoratifs, including the highly acclaimed Dior exhibition in 2017. This showcase highlights the museum’s diverse decorative arts holdings spanning from the Byzantine era to the Second French Empire such as suits of armor, ceramics, ivories, tapestries, scientific instruments, jewelry, bronzes, stained glass, silverware, and even the luxurious Napoleon III apartments.
Established in 1893, the Louvre's decorative arts department has built an impressive collection of 20,000 objects, though only about one-third are on display at any given time. Having no fashion holdings except for some ornate coats from The Order of the Holy Spirit, the museum is sourcing pieces from various fashion designers and houses across France, Italy, the U.K., and the U.S.
Olivier Gabet, director of the decorative arts department at the Louvre Museum, has chosen to spotlight "more recent creations" from the 1960s to the present in the upcoming exhibition. He emphasized the upcoming project's uniqueness given the depth of the collection that spans over a dozen centuries and showcases the works of approximately 40 designers. Participants will include renowned names like Dolce & Gabbana and Yohji Yamamoto, along with some emerging fashion designers, as he hinted at potential surprises.
While luxury brands like Louis Vuitton have previously held fashion shows at the museum, this is the first time in history that an exhibition features the fashion sector. As Gabet stated, the aim is to: "Understand how museums can be important for designers". The iconic Mona Lisa has traditionally drawn crowds to the Louvre, but museum officials are optimistic that this exhibition will encourage visitors to consider the broader implications of fashion.
Courtesy of Mark Czerniec
In a recent discussion, Gabet highlighted the significant role of fashion designers as ambassadors for museums, emphasizing their unique ability to forge connections between various artistic disciplines. The French director cites the work of fashion designers who are drawn to different fields of artistic creation: Jonathan Anderson's exploration of ceramics, Maria Grazia Chiuri's references to the Italian Renaissance, the tapestries that inspired Alexander McQueen's collections, and Christian Louboutin's gilded wood decorations.
“Today, I think that fashion is even more interesting when it is shown in connection with other fields,” he stated. “When you talk to a designer, of course they talk about fashion, but they also talk about art, they talk about craft, they talk about photography. It’s a big shift right now in the way fashion looks at itself — in relation to other fields of creation.”
Sayart / Amia Nguyen, amyngwyen13@gmail.com
Courtesy of Trey Ratcliff
Karl Lagerfeld, a passionate admirer of 18th-century interiors, often visited the Louvre and drew inspiration from its exquisite furniture and lacquered screens. To celebrate the museum's nurturing and inspiring role in fashion designer collections, The Louvre Museum is set to host its first fashion-focused exhibition, featuring creations inspired by its extensive decorative arts collection.
Although an official title has not yet been revealed, the exhibition will delve into the influence of historical art on contemporary fashion designers. It is slated to run from January 24 to July 21, 2025, showcasing about 65 ensembles and 30 accessories that will be strategically placed throughout the museum's expansive 9,700 square feet of permanent galleries. Interior architect Nathalie Crinière has been enlisted for the set design. Crinière is well-known for her previous collaborations with curator Gabet on large-scale exhibitions at Les Arts Décoratifs, including the highly acclaimed Dior exhibition in 2017. This showcase highlights the museum’s diverse decorative arts holdings spanning from the Byzantine era to the Second French Empire such as suits of armor, ceramics, ivories, tapestries, scientific instruments, jewelry, bronzes, stained glass, silverware, and even the luxurious Napoleon III apartments.
Established in 1893, the Louvre's decorative arts department has built an impressive collection of 20,000 objects, though only about one-third are on display at any given time. Having no fashion holdings except for some ornate coats from The Order of the Holy Spirit, the museum is sourcing pieces from various fashion designers and houses across France, Italy, the U.K., and the U.S.
Olivier Gabet, director of the decorative arts department at the Louvre Museum, has chosen to spotlight "more recent creations" from the 1960s to the present in the upcoming exhibition. He emphasized the upcoming project's uniqueness given the depth of the collection that spans over a dozen centuries and showcases the works of approximately 40 designers. Participants will include renowned names like Dolce & Gabbana and Yohji Yamamoto, along with some emerging fashion designers, as he hinted at potential surprises.
While luxury brands like Louis Vuitton have previously held fashion shows at the museum, this is the first time in history that an exhibition features the fashion sector. As Gabet stated, the aim is to: "Understand how museums can be important for designers". The iconic Mona Lisa has traditionally drawn crowds to the Louvre, but museum officials are optimistic that this exhibition will encourage visitors to consider the broader implications of fashion.
Courtesy of Mark Czerniec
In a recent discussion, Gabet highlighted the significant role of fashion designers as ambassadors for museums, emphasizing their unique ability to forge connections between various artistic disciplines. The French director cites the work of fashion designers who are drawn to different fields of artistic creation: Jonathan Anderson's exploration of ceramics, Maria Grazia Chiuri's references to the Italian Renaissance, the tapestries that inspired Alexander McQueen's collections, and Christian Louboutin's gilded wood decorations.
“Today, I think that fashion is even more interesting when it is shown in connection with other fields,” he stated. “When you talk to a designer, of course they talk about fashion, but they also talk about art, they talk about craft, they talk about photography. It’s a big shift right now in the way fashion looks at itself — in relation to other fields of creation.”
