Still looking for the perfect cultural offer for your summer vacation? This summer, these three museums invite you on a journey through the fashion and cultural history of different brands and icons.
‘Diva’
While two divas of modern pop history, Taylor Swift and Beyonce, are on tour this summer, the Victoria & Albert Museum is dedicating the “Diva” exhibition to the fashion of some of the most famous grande dames in music and film history.
The exhibition, supported by luxury fashion retailer Net-A-Porter, celebrates the transformative and inspiring power of famous artists and explores the connection of women, power and creativity through the light of performance, according to a statement on Wednesday.
Curated by Kate Bailey, the museum’s Senior Curator in Theater and Performance, the exhibition presents over 250 objects spanning fashion, photography, design, costume, music and live performance. In addition, 60 outfits will be exhibited, some of which have never been seen before.
From opera singer Maria Callas and film star Marilyn Monroe to pop icons such as Elton John and Tina Turner, the exhibition not only highlights the sparkling fashion but also the creativity, ambition and resilience of these exceptional talents.
“The word ‘diva’ has a multitude of meanings today,” said curator Kate Bailey. “The focus of this exhibition is the story of iconic artists who have challenged the status quo with creativity, courage and ambition, using their voice and art to redefine and reclaim the ‘diva’.”
Where? Victoria & Albert Museum in London
When? June 24 to April 7, 2024
Gucci Vision
Gucci traces its own roots and examines the different points of view of its creative directors over the past 102 years with “Gucci Vision”. The exhibition is located in the Gucci Garden in Florence, the hometown of the Italian luxury fashion label.
The new exhibition marks a new chapter for Gucci as it will be the first exhibition without longtime creative director Alessandro Michele. It was also under his direction that the former Gucci Museum opened its doors in 2018 as the renovated and renamed Gucci Garden.
For the first exhibition without Michele, Gucci prefers to look back. Not just to Michele’s time, but to the entire history of the house. Central Gucci motifs such as the double G, the bamboo bag handles and the flora pattern are examined and staged.
However, Gucci is also looking to the future and is dedicating parts of the exhibition to the “unexplored reaches” of the Metaverse, according to a statement last week.
The release describes the Gucci vision as a creative conversation between the original vision of Guccio Gucci, the pioneering work of his sons and the imagination of the younger creative directors – Tom Ford, Frida Giannini and Alessandro Michele.
In September, designer Sabato de Sarno will join that list as he makes his long-awaited debut for the Florentine fashion house at Milan Fashion Week.
Where? Gucci Garden in Florence
When? The exhibition opened on June 14th
Rimowa: ‘Since 1898’
Anyone who was in Tokyo between June 9th and 18th already had the opportunity to visit the traveling exhibition ‘Since 1898’ by the Cologne suitcase specialist. As the name suggests, the exhibition celebrates Rimowa’s 125th anniversary. While the retrospective in Tokyo has already closed its doors, it will next travel to New York and Rimowa’s hometown of Cologne.
The exhibition tells the story of the suitcase manufacturer and of travel. Suitcases, some of which come from the collections of famous personalities such as Louis Vuitton designer Pharrell Williams, singer Patti Smith and tennis pro Roger Federer, are housed in showcases that tell the story of their owners. It also tells the stories of the materials, craftsmanship, people and places that make up the identity of the house, according to a Rimowa statement.
