Exhibition: Japanese Heritage Brand Nakagawa and Danish company Carl Hansen & Søn Unite for London Exhibition on Craft and Design

A new exhibition in London this May will bring together centuries-old Japanese craftsmanship and Danish modernist design, highlighting a shared philosophy rooted in everyday use and longevity.

Visitors with an interest in Japanese culture have long been drawn to Nara, widely regarded as a birthplace of foundational crafts and a centre for traditional arts such as calligraphy and tea ceremonies. Once Japan’s imperial capital in the 8th century, before Kyoto, the city retains a compact historic character, with many of its landmarks clustered around Nara Park.

Nakagawa tea set.

Now, a heritage brand founded in the city over 300 years ago is expanding its presence in the UK. Nakagawa, established in 1716, is launching a month-long exhibition and cultural programme in collaboration with Danish furniture maker Carl Hansen & Søn. The event follows the success of Nakagawa’s London pop-up store in Shoreditch last September.

The exhibition, titled Crafting the Everyday: 300 Years of Nara meets Danish Modernism, will run from 19 May to 16 June 2026 at Carl Hansen & Søn’s showroom in Clerkenwell. It coincides with both Clerkenwell Design Week and the London Festival of Architecture.

Nakagawa home and lifestyle products.

Nakagawa is known for its mission to revitalise “kogei” — traditional Japanese crafts — by combining historical techniques with contemporary design suited to modern living. The company began as a merchant of Nara-Sarashi, a finely hand-woven ramie cloth once used by samurai for ceremonial dress, and has continued through 13 generations of family leadership.   Signature products include the award-winning traditional Hana-Fukin ramie dishcloths often adorned with functional and decorative Sashiko embroidery, and traditional Kaya-ori Fukin Japanese kitchen cloths made from layered, open-weave cotton or rayon (mosquito netting fabric), alongside a wide range of contemporary home and lifestyle goods. 

Hana-Fukin ramie dishcloths

Today, Nakagawa works with more than 800 artisans across Japan, supporting regional craft traditions through modern applications. Its Danish partner, Carl Hansen & Søn, founded in 1908, has become synonymous with Danish modernism, producing furniture defined by precision, restraint and durability.

 Carl Hansen & Søn

Crafting the Everyday: 300 Years of Nara meets Danish Modernism is designed as a series of lived-in interiors rather than a conventional display. Nakagawa’s handcrafted objects are placed alongside Carl Hansen & Søn furniture to create domestic scenes reflecting everyday rituals.

In the dining area, a simple arrangement of homeware features the brand’s signature ramie Hana-Fukin cloth used as a placemat, accompanied by rice and soup bowls, small dishes and tea sets. The kitchen space is presented as a calm, almost architectural composition of tools and vessels, emphasising order and clarity.

Two contrasting living environments explore different approaches to comfort. One focuses on floor-based living, with cushions and textiles made using traditional sakiori (rag weaving) techniques, reinterpreted for contemporary use. The other highlights Yokoburi embroidery, a craft rooted in kimono-making, with textiles featuring poems from the Man’yōshū, Japan’s oldest anthology of verse.

At the core of the exhibition is Nakagawa’s long-term aim to ensure traditional crafts remain relevant. The company emphasises that preservation alone is insufficient, arguing that craft must be used in daily life to endure. Guided by the philosophy of “preservation through transformation,” Nakagawa is committed to sustaining traditional crafts by adapting them for modern life with a focus on sustainability, longevity, and mindful living.

Carl Hansen & Søn’s philosophy aligns closely, with designs intended to be practical, long-lasting and passed down through generations.  The heritage Danish furniture brand founded in 1908 is rooted in a philosophy that unites exceptional craftsmanship, functional design, and natural materials. The company is renowned for its long-standing collaboration with designer Hans J. Wegner, whose iconic pieces such as the Wishbone Chair and CH25 remain in continuous production. 

A programme of free workshops will accompany the exhibition, including ramie postcard colouring and sessions where visitors can create their own flavoured teas. Each workshop will run on selected days, with three sessions per day, and advance booking will be required.

Crafting the Everyday: 300 Years of Nara meets Danish Modernism will take place from 19 May to 16 June 2026 at the Carl Hansen & Søn showroom, 16A Bowling Green Lane, Clerkenwell, London. Admission is free.

Exhibition Launch: A New Exhibition - GIANNI VERSACE RETROSPECTIVE - to be staged in Paris June 5 - September 6, 2026

A major retrospective dedicated to the late Italian designer Gianni Versace is set to open in Paris this summer, offering a comprehensive look at the life and work of one of fashion’s most influential and flamboyant designers.

From 5 June 2026, the Musée Maillol will host the first large-scale exhibition in France devoted to Versace since 1986. The show will run throughout the summer in the French capital, widely regarded as a global centre of fashion.

Titled Gianni Versace Retrospective, the exhibition will feature nearly 450 items, including original garments, accessories, sketches, photographs, videos and rare interview material. Together, these works aim to provide an extensive overview of the designer’s creative output and enduring influence.

Designed by scenographer Nathalie Crinière, the exhibition traces Versace’s career from his early years in the family atelier in Calabria to his rise as a defining figure in international fashion. It highlights the diverse influences that shaped his aesthetic, from Catholic iconography and Greek sculpture to Italian opera and the opulence of the Baroque period.

The retrospective has already been shown in several European cities, including London, Berlin and Málaga, and arrives in Paris at a symbolic moment. The exhibition coincides with the approaching 30th anniversary of Versace’s death in 1997, as well as what would have been his 80th birthday.

More than 120 silhouettes and mannequins will be displayed, exploring the designer’s creative inspirations across art, history and popular culture. His work is presented alongside references to artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Antonio Canova and Pablo Picasso, as well as the pop art movement, notably through the influence of Andy Warhol. Contemporary artist Julian Schnabel is also referenced, reflecting Versace’s engagement with the visual culture of his time.

The exhibition further examines how Versace’s designs were captured and disseminated by leading fashion photographers, including Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Helmut Newton, Patrick Demarchelier and Mario Testino.

Versace’s close ties to popular culture are also highlighted, with references to collaborations and relationships with high-profile figures such as Madonna, Elton John, George Michael, Grace Jones and Prince, as well as public figures including Diana, Princess of Wales and Elizabeth Hurley.

The role of supermodels in shaping the fashion landscape of the late 20th century is another key theme. Figures such as Carla Bruni, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Karen Mulder and Linda Evangelista are featured through archival footage, photographs and magazine material documenting the era.

The retrospective charts the evolution of Versace’s style, from the punk and bondage-inspired designs of the 1990s to the more minimalist silhouettes of his later years, as well as the vibrant, Miami-influenced aesthetic and bold printed silks that became his signature.

Paris itself plays a central role in the narrative. Although Versace helped shift the fashion spotlight towards Milan in the late 1970s, he maintained a strong presence in the French capital. In 1989, he launched his haute couture line, Atelier Versace, presenting collections during Paris Fashion Week. His shows at the Ritz Hotel on Place Vendôme became renowned for their theatricality and star-studded audiences.

The exhibition running from 5 June to 6 September 2026, also recalls that Versace’s final public appearance took place in Paris, shortly before his death in Miami in 1997.

Organisers say the exhibition’s design draws on the symbolism of the catwalk, with runway-inspired staging extending throughout the galleries. In doing so, it reflects both the spectacle of Versace’s shows and his lasting impact on the intersection of fashion, art and contemporary culture.

Artist Focus: New David Hockney Exhibition to Open at Serpentine North in London

A new exhibition by the celebrated British artist David Hockney will open at London Serpentine’s Serpentine North Gallery on 12 March 2026, presenting new paintings alongside the artist’s monumental frieze A Year in Normandie. The exhibition, titled A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting, will run until 23 August 2026 and marks Hockney’s first presentation at the Serpentine. Admission will be free.

David Hockney, London 2023
(Image credit: © David Hockney Photo Credit: Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima)

The show follows the artist’s major retrospective at Fondation Louis Vuitton in 2025, which featured more than 400 works spanning seven decades of his career. In contrast, the Serpentine exhibition offers a more intimate view of Hockney’s recent practice.

“David Hockney’s work invites us to look closely and rediscover the world around us,” said Bettina Korek, chief executiove of the Serpentine, adding that the gallery was pleased to present the works free of charge in the park setting.

At the centre of the exhibition will be A Year in Normandie (2020–2021), a panoramic frieze being shown in London for the first time. 

David Hockney: A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting, installation view, Serpentine North, 2026 © David Hockney. Photo: George Darrell

Extending around the perimeter gallery, the work charts the changing seasons around Hockney’s former studio in Normandy, France. Created during the spring of 2020, when global lockdowns brought much of the world to a halt, the piece comprises more than 100 digital paintings produced on an iPad. Working quickly and intuitively, Hockney captured shifts in light, weather and landscape across the year.

David Hockney: A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting, installation view, Serpentine North, 2026 © David Hockney. Photo: George Darrell

The format of the work draws inspiration from Chinese scroll painting as well as the eleventh-century Bayeux Tapestry. The resulting compositions combine broad areas of bold colour with playful, pop-like details as spring gives way to summer, autumn and winter.

David Hockney, Abstraction Resting on a Red and White Checkered Tablecloth, 2025. (Image credit: © David Hockney. Photo: Prudence Cuming)

Alongside the frieze, the exhibition will debut a new body of paintings created for the Serpentine. The series includes five still lifes and five portraits depicting members of Hockney’s close circle, including family members and carers. Each painting is arranged with a frontal composition and incorporates a recurring gingham tablecloth motif.

In these works Hockney merges abstract and figurative approaches. The artist has long argued that figurative painting is inherently abstract, as it exists on a flat surface. A large-scale mural by Hockney will also be installed in the garden at Serpentine North. The printed work depicts a tree house from the spring section of A Year in Normandie and will be displayed at the rear of the gallery, echoing its origin in the artist’s own garden in Normandy.

“I have always believed that art should be a deep pleasure,” Hockney said in a statement. “There is always, everywhere, an enormous amount of suffering, but I believe that my duty as an artist is to overcome and alleviate the sterility of despair. New ways of seeing mean new ways of feeling. I do believe that painting can change the world.”

Hans Ulrich Obrist, the Serpentine’s artistic director and curator of the exhibition alongside Claude Adjil, said Hockney continues to experiment with painting at the age of 88.  He noted that the new portraits explore both the presence of the sitters and the act of seeing itself, while the frieze offers a personal reflection on the passage of time.

A catalogue designed by Hockney will accompany the exhibition, published by Serpentine and Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König. The publication will include essays by Marco Livingstone and Olivia Laing, as well as a conversation between Hockney and Obrist.

Separately, the artist will unveil a new commission at Turner Contemporary in Margate on 1 April 2026. Created to mark the gallery’s 15th anniversary, the work will transform the Sunley Gallery’s floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the North Sea, measuring approximately seven by ten metres.

A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting - Serpentine North Gallery - 12 March - 23 August 2026     Admission Free

Images courtesy of  The Serpentine, London

Trade Fair Report: Première Vision Paris February 2026 Signals Industry Resilience Amid Global Volatility

At the close of its February edition, Première Vision Paris reported strong international engagement at the fair, held from 3–5 February 2026 at Parc des Expositions in Paris Nord Villepinte. The event convened decision-makers, manufacturers and designers from major European, Asian and American markets, reaffirming both the fair’s global reach and Paris’s centrality to the fashion and textile industry’s international dialogue.

Against a backdrop of economic fragility and geopolitical strain, organisers at GL events’ Fashion Division said the edition demonstrated the sector’s capacity to mobilise, exchange intelligence and construct collective responses. Over three days, sustained business meetings and high-level discussions signalled what the organisers described as genuine forward momentum, even as companies navigate tightening margins and recalibrated growth strategies.

Cost pressures reshape the value chain

Conversations across the show floor underscored a structural shift: cost pressure is now embedded throughout the value chain. Adjusted volumes, deferred commitments and more demanding commercial terms are compelling companies to prioritise risk management and financial equilibrium.

Yet price competition alone no longer defines procurement strategies. Industrial reliability, delivery performance, financial solidity and continuity of partnerships are increasingly decisive. Two parallel dynamics were observed. 

Retail-oriented brands continue to pursue strict optimisation, exploring new sourcing territories while maintaining tactical caution. Meanwhile, premium and luxury houses are consolidating established collaborations, tightening supply chain control and investing selectively in innovation to underpin long-term growth.

Across segments, responsible innovation has moved from aspiration to prerequisite. The emphasis is on pragmatic, scalable and immediately actionable solutions rather than speculative experimentation.

Education and craftsmanship in focus

Responding to concerns over declining technical expertise, Première Vision strengthened its educational mission during the February session, welcoming a significant cohort of students. The initiative reflects a strategic commitment to safeguarding textile know-how and reinforcing the skills pipeline underpinning industrial excellence.

The edition also marked the launch of the Réseau d’Excellence Mode & Beauté des Entreprises du Patrimoine Vivant, aligned with the Fashion & Luxury Strategic Committee’s agenda. The network underscores the strategic importance of craftsmanship, industrial resilience and cross-sector cooperation in a high-pressure market environment. Organisers highlighted the growing influence of the Fashion Division in convening creative stakeholders while addressing structural industry transformation.

Territories of Savoir-Faire: Japan, Portugal and France

Under the banner “Territories of Savoir-Faire!”, the exhibition spotlighted three countries—France, Portungal and Japan—through a curated visitor route, conferences and cross-border dialogues in the Prospective Area. The thematic focus reflected a wider recalibration of commercial and cultural geographies, as global trade patterns shift and traditional production scales are reassessed.

France: heritage and hybridisation

France’s fashion ecosystem—spanning ateliers, museums, schools and couture houses—was presented as both historical bedrock and experimental laboratory. Centuries-old techniques such as Leavers lace and embroidery from Calais and Caudry were juxtaposed with contemporary reinterpretations by a new generation of artisans blending tradition with counter-cultural influences.

Regional catalysts and incubators, including the Tremplin Mode et Textile, were highlighted alongside established lace makers and embroiderers. The European Flax and Hemp Alliance guided visitors through the French and European flax value chain, detailing agricultural practices, processing stages and environmental metrics from cultivation to finished textile.

Portugal: vertically integrated sustainability

Portugal emerged as a case study in structural sustainability. Textile clusters in the north, particularly around the Ave and Cávado valleys, demonstrate high vertical integration—from yarn to finished garment—supported by investment in advanced machinery, digital garment passports and AI-assisted quality control.

A central institutional presence was CITEVE, the Vila Nova de Famalicão-based technology centre founded in 1989. At the fair, CITEVE presented experimental silhouettes developed under its Be@t (Bioeconomy at Textiles) project, integrating Digital Product Passports to enhance transparency and traceability. The initiative, including a partnership with Agromethod Labs on hydroponic cotton cultivation, aims to transition Portugal’s textile sector towards a circular and bio-based model.

Manufacturers showcased innovations ranging from closed-loop dyeing systems and water reduction strategies to new plant-based fibres derived from eucalyptus, coffee waste and tree bark—illustrating a shift towards regenerative and biofabricated materials.

Japan: nature-minded mastery

Japan’s presentation emphasised a philosophy of long-term stewardship and reverence for material integrity. Rare fibres such as Hasumi linen from Shimane and traditional indigo and plant-based dyeing techniques reflected a culture attentive to the “tamashii”, or soul, of objects—their ageing and transformation over time.

Collaborations featured prominently. French artisans in residence at Villa Kujoyama and participants in the Edo Tokyo Kirari programme demonstrated cross-cultural exchange, while kimono upcycling projects by students from Polimoda and Osaka Bunka highlighted reinterpretation of heritage garments.

The Japan Fashion Week Organization curated a dedicated space, including a “Japan Exhibitors Collection” and a virtual reality immersion into wool production in the Bishu region, renowned for its textile expertise. The fair’s Grand Prix, Excellence Award and Special Prize this year favoured a materials-driven approach, with denim and wool in focus.

Prospective Space: innovation narratives

Three enclaves within the Prospective Space offered thematic exploration:

• Living Legacy, where intergenerational and cross-cultural collaborations reinterpret ancestral techniques;
  

• Active Know-How, foregrounding playful subversion and stylistic reinvention;

• Organic Intelligence, examining biotechnology, mycelium, biofabrication and regenerative design as pathways to reduced waste and evolutionary material development.

Through these curated narratives, Première Vision Paris positioned itself not only as a sourcing platform but as a strategic observatory—interpreting emerging signals, consolidating partnerships and enabling informed decision-making.

In a period marked by trade disruption and economic recalibration, the February 2026 edition reinforced Paris’s enduring role as a global convening point. From upstream raw materials to downstream creative application, the fair presented localised models of production and knowledge as blueprints for a resilient, innovation-led future.

Images by Lucia Carpio

Exhibition Review: Palais Galliera of Paris Shines Light on the Hidden Crafts of Fashion

In Paris, the Palais Galliera is drawing attention to the often-unseen artisans of haute couture with its expansive exhibition: Weaving, Embroidering, Embellishing: The Skills of Fashioning. 

Voluminous sculptural dress and shoes by Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, for her "18th Century Punk"
Haute Couture Collection.
The Japanese designer reimagined in 2016 how Punk might have seemed during the period of 18th-century revolutions exploding across Europe.

Running until 18 October 2026, the wide-ranging exhibition, dedicated to the technical métiers that underpin the fashion industry, foregrounds craftsmanship rather than celebrity designers, offering visitors a detailed examination of the processes behind some of fashion’s most intricate creations.

The exhibition’s emphasis is on craft rather than on blockbuster-style display of iconic couture pieces.

As digital tools increasingly influence design and marketing, exhibitions such as this underscore the argument that the enduring appeal of haute couture lies in embodied knowledge — the precision of the hand, the trained eye, and the accumulated skill transmitted across generations. 

Mise-en-carte (Point-paper design), 1770 - 1780, France, from an Album showing painters' designs transferring onto hand-drawn graph paper to created instructions for a weaving look.  

By foregrounding these crafts, the Palais Galliera situates fashion’s future resilience in the preservation and valorisation of its most traditional competencies.

Chanel evening dress by Karl Lagerfeld, Haute Couture SS 2019.

In this context, the reaffirmation of artisanal expertise functions not only as cultural homage but as economic positioning. For luxury brands, savoir-faire remains a core differentiator: hand-executed embroidery, heritage weaving techniques and workshop-based production cannot be easily replicated by algorithms or mass automation. 

Cristobal Balenciaga evening dress and bolero ensemble haute couture SS 1947, from the wardrobe of Daisy Fellowes, heiress of the Singer forturne, French socialite and columnist of the American Harper's Bazaar magazine.

"Weaving, Embroidering, Embellishing: The Skills of Fashioning" (Tisser, broder, sublimer. Les savoir-faire de la mode) brings together more than 350 works, spanning garments, textile samples, tools and archival materials. 

While spotlighting the myriad of techniques and craftsmanship related to ornamentiation - from weaving, dyeing, printing, embroidery, to artificial flowers, lace-making and decorative embellishment, all are explored through the single unifying theme: the flower. 

Jean Patou by Christian Lacroix Poker d'as Evening Gown
Haute Couture AW 1986 - 1987

The aim is to demonstrate the variety of techniques, embellishments, the interplay of materials, the treatment of colour, volume and so forth - all ingenious and creative variations on the floral motif, which has been ubiquitous in fashion and the decorative arts for over three centuries.   To this, the exhibition showcases the masterful use of artisans' techniques on haute couture designs.  For his final couture collection before his death, Karl Lagerfeld's evening dress inspiration from the 18th century featuring embroidered flowers that imitate Vincennes and Sevres porcelain.  The embroidery took 1,205 hours of work incorporating 3D techniques to sculpt volumes in high-relief.  An evening ensemble from cristobal Balenciaga's Haute Couture SS 1947 collection depicts a floral print that evokes the designs of the Lyon silk maker Duchante.  The embroidered details are the work of Metrl that specialised in high quality mechanical embroidery.

Rather than presenting couture as spectacle alone, the curatorial approach emphasises crafts as disciplines in their own right. Magnification devices and close-up displays allow visitors to examine stitching, beadwork and fabric structures in forensic detail.

Cultural commentators in Paris have praised the exhibition’s balance between visual appeal and technical insight, noting that it avoids overwhelming audiences with specialist terminology while still conveying the complexity of the trades involved. 

One would applaud the curators’ decision to spotlight the “petites mains” — the skilled workshop artisans whose labour sustains the haute couture tradition but who rarely receive public recognition.

Embroidery example from the Maison Beauvais & Cie ca 1830 featuring metallic thread on silk mousseline.  Maison Beauvais was renowned for its fine laminated threads that ensure the lasting brilliance and fluidity essential to First Empire and Restoration of court gowns.

The exhibition is contemplative and intellectually rigorous, paying tribute to intergenerational knowledge and the preservation of craft. Rather than centring on runway glamour, the show positions material technique and artisanal expertise at the heart of fashion’s cultural value.

Being both visually enticing while being elegant and educational, there is a wide diversity of trades represented — from broderie and plumasserie to specialist weaving — and the opportunity to better understand the layered production process behind finished garments.

Its focus on savoir-faire arrives at a moment of strategic significance for the luxury sector. High fashion houses are grappling with slowing global demand, particularly in key markets where aspirational spending has softened. 

At the same time, rapid advances in artificial intelligence — from generative design tools to automated production modelling — are reshaping creative and commercial workflows. While AI promises efficiency and speed, it also intensifies questions about authenticity, originality and the human value embedded in luxury goods.

Images by Lucia Carpio

Textile Trade News: Première Vision Paris will highlight Savoir-Faire, focusing on France, Portugal and Japan this February

Image from Premiere Vision Paris

Première Vision Paris, scheduled to take place from 3 to 5 February 2026 at the Parc des Expositions in Villepinte, Paris, is reaffirming its commitment to supporting craftsmanship by  highlighting producing countries of expertise, placing a particular focus on France, Portugal and Japan—territories recognised for inspiring new ways of making, seeing, creating and thinking.

The theme, titled Territories of Savoir-Faire, celebrates a vibrant ecosystem of creativity that brings together pioneers redefining the boundaries of their craft. It presents savoir-faire as a living resource—human, social, artisanal, cultural and patrimonial—explored from the closest to the most distant, from upstream to downstream, and from agriculture to the designer. The approach reflects a desire to examine local models as blueprints for the future, emphasising the rediscovery of existing resources, the cultivation of local skills, the defence of diversity, reconnection with living systems, and the renewal of textile culture and innovation.

“Our ambition is to support the industry through its profound transformation and help build a model that is sustainable, competitive and desirable,” the organisers said. 

At the Paris show, the Territories of Savoir-Faire theme will unfold as an immersive journey, featuring dedicated experience zones and exclusive talks that give voice to the craftsmanship of today and tomorrow. Visitors will be invited to engage with some of the world’s richest reservoirs of expertise and experience the theme in all its vitality.

Within this framework, France is highlighted for its culture and counter-culture, representing a territory where savoir-faire bridges heritage and contemporary creation. Portugal is recognised for its commitment to living sustainability, bringing together industries and artisans dedicated to sustainable fashion. Japan is showcased for its nature-minded approach, where textile tradition meets biotechnological innovation.

At the Textiles de France stand, presented by the Union des Industries Textiles (UIT), 40 French companies will showcase the breadth of national textile expertise through an exclusive selection of 200 premium fabric samples. Highlights include exceptional lace and silks, iconic fancy tweeds and jacquards with emblematic motifs. Around 30 mannequin looks will illustrate the use of these materials, alongside innovative technical textiles such as recycled and organic fabrics, bistretch, fire-resistant and windproof materials, and high-performance textiles for fashion, sport and extreme sports.

In the Manufacturing area, the French Pavilion will bring together a series of stands dedicated to French apparel manufacturing, with workshops demonstrating the diversity of skills and services available. Also featured is the Maison du Savoir-Faire et de la Création, affiliated with UFIMH and supported by DEFI, which represents more than 300 French manufacturers covering a wide spectrum of expertise, from woven and knitted garments to knitwear, accessories, lingerie, swimwear and underwear.

CITEVE image

Under the banner Portugal: Territory of Savoir-Faire, CITEVE will present experimental silhouettes developed as part of the Be@t project. Created in collaboration with around 20 companies across the textile and apparel value chain, the pieces reflect advances in applied research, sustainability and digital transformation. Designed according to circular economy and eco-design principles, and equipped with Digital Product Passports, they ensure full traceability and anticipate future European regulatory requirements.

Kimono Upcycling Projecy

Japan will be represented through the Kimono Upcycling Project, a collaboration between Voutrail (Osaka Bunka) and Polimoda. The exhibition features collections created by students using kimonos from dormant stocks, combining ancestral Japanese craftsmanship with contemporary design. The project aims to celebrate Japanese culture, encourage cross-cultural innovation between Italian and Japanese designers, and address sustainability by giving new life to unused textiles.

While this February 2026 show is poised to reveal a new visual identity designed to illustrate the show’s key seasonal theme and signal its creative direction, Première Vision Paris is set to welcome around 1,000 exhibitors from 36 countries, bringing together companies from across the entire fashion value chain, including yarns, fabrics, accessories, apparel, leather, design, and Smart Creation.

Among the key highlights, the organisers point to the Forum Première Vision, which will unveil colour and material trends for the spring–summer 2027 season under the theme Open. 

Another key attraction this season is the Maison d’Exceptions area (Hall 5),  an exclusive area (access subject to accreditation) entirely dedicated to rare craftsmanship, high creation, and exceptional artisanal techniques.  In this 13th edition, Maison d’Exceptions will bring together 22 artisans and workshops, including 13 first‑time exhibitors, showcasing unique expertise such as embroidery, indigo dyeing, leatherwork, experimental textiles, and horsehair craftsmanship.  This will be a privileged opportunity to explore creations that combine tradition and innovation—sources of inspiration to elevate designers' and fashion producers' future projects.  It highlights rare know-how, artisanal and innovative techniques, large-scale production capabilities, solutions tailored to capsule collections, bespoke product development, operational agility, and complementary price positioning. 

By combining rigour, inspiration and expertise, Première Vision Paris aims to meet the needs of style, purchasing, production, CSR and development teams as closely as possible.

In addition, Première Vision Paris will introduce Voyage au cœur du Lin for the first time. Promoted by the Alliance du Lin et du Chanvre, the new space will highlight the certified European flax value chain and the associated savoir-faire, underscoring the fibre’s strategic importance within the industry.

The visual identity for the February 2026 edition captures a forward-looking and joyful vision of fashion, where craftsmanship and creativity are reinvented through hybridisation. At its centre is a striking juxtaposition: the couture volume of tulle, emblematic of expressive ornamentation, merges with the sporty functionality of a trainer and a bomber jacket. The image highlights a new creative territory in which technical expertise, emotion and sophistication intersect, reflecting Première Vision’s ability to reinterpret savoir-faire, bridge tradition and innovation, and embody a freer, more dynamic and contemporary fashion landscape.

For more than 50 years, Première Vision Paris has brought together fashion professionals from across the globe, establishing itself as a unique sourcing and solutions hub that addresses the challenges and needs of fashion businesses, from mainstream to luxury, through a rigorously curated offer representing the world’s major sourcing regions.

The show spans the entire industry value chain, including yarns, designs, fabrics, accessories, leather, manufacturing, and smart creation encompassing materials and fashion technology. 

Images from Première Vision Paris 

Art Annoucement: London's Barbican Centre to Stage First UK Solo Show by Artist and Director Liam Young in 2026

The Barbican has announced that it will mount the first UK solo exhibition by artist, director and BAFTA-nominated producer Liam Young in May 2026. In the world of fashion retail, lifestyle and design businesses, we often make forecasts about the trends we expect in coming seasons. Now a new exhibition scheduled to take place at the Barbican will extend that practice of looking ahead, exploring speculative futures shaped by climate realities and emerging technologies. In Other Worlds, part of the centre’s Summer season, will invite visitors to consider how alternative futures might be imagined and collectively created.

Film still from After the End (2024) by Liam Young. Image courtesy of the artist.

Young, whose work sits between design, fiction and futurism, is known for constructing imagined worlds that serve as test sites for the social and environmental challenges ahead. 

“The future doesn't rush over us like water… It's an act of creation,” he said, framing the exhibition as an invitation to collectively reimagine what comes next.

Bringing together film, sound, costumes, props, miniature models, comics and tapestries, the show will immerse visitors in a series of possible futures grounded in real technological and climate-based scenarios.

A major highlight will be the world premiere of World Machine (2026), a Barbican commission blending live-action footage and CGI. The film visualises a near-future Earth transformed into a planetary-scale supercomputer, its landscapes enmeshed in networks driving large-scale AI. Young imagines alternative approaches to technology production, speculating on renewable-powered data centres operating in harmony with rewilded environments. The work simultaneously reflects human ambition and the precarious opportunity to rethink our relationship with nature.

Other moving-image works on display will include Planet City (2021), envisioning the world’s population condensed into a single ultra-dense settlement; The Great Endeavour (2023), which depicts the engineering feats required to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; and After the End (2024), a collaboration with Aboriginal actor and activist Natasha Wanganeen. The latter offers a 50,000-year timelapse tracing First Nations histories, colonisation, resource extraction and a speculative future centred on post-fossil-fuel energy systems and land reclamation.

Sections of a graphic novel and audio narratives created with leading contributors from film, television, science fiction and graphic storytelling will accompany visitors through the exhibition, further expanding the featured worlds.

Luke Kemp, Head of Creative Programming for Barbican Immersive, said the moment feels right “to once again look for new stories, imagine different futures and create the worlds that we want to exist”. In Other Worlds, he added, presents hopeful possibilities shaped by bold environments and innovative storytelling.

Devyani Saltzman, the Barbican’s Director for Arts & Participation, described the exhibition as part of the centre’s commitment to exploring urgent contemporary issues. Young’s practice, she said, demonstrates that imagining alternatives is “essential to understanding today’s world with imagination, rigour and hope”.

Presented by Barbican Immersive—its strand dedicated to contemporary culture, emerging technology and digital creativity—the exhibition will tour internationally after its London run.

Young’s work has been shown at major global platforms including Channel 4 in the UK, Tribeca, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Royal Academy, the Venice Biennale, the BBC and The Guardian. His projects have been acquired by museums such as MoMA, the Smithsonian, the Art Institute of Chicago and the V&A. Alongside his creative practice, he is a sought-after futurist, advising clients from NASA and Google to BMW and Microsoft. He also leads the Masters in Fiction and Entertainment at SCI-Arc in Los Angeles.

In Other Worlds - Barbican Centre - 21 May – 6 September 2026

Trade Fair: Denim Première Vision returns to Milan with a focus on innovation and responsible transformation

Denim Première Vision SS27 edition to be dedicated to innovation, creativity,
and responsible transformation in the denim industry. 
Image from Denim Première Vision 

Denim Première Vision - the textile trade fair - returns to Milan’s Superstudio Più this November 26–27, 2025, with an edition dedicated to innovation, creativity, and responsible transformation in the denim industry. Reinforcing its role as an international reference for the entire denim value chain, the show acts as a creative laboratory, gathering iconic names, emerging labels, and textile innovators to share ideas and inspiration. 

This Spring-Summer 2027 edition invites visitors to immerse themselves in the future of denim, through a curated selection of international exhibitors, a conference program, and exclusive creative collaborations. 

Among this year’s highlights, several renowned figures will headline the event. Amy Leverton, international trend forecaster and founder of Denim Dudes, will share her inclusive, modern, and eco-conscious vision of denim culture. A trusted voice in the industry, she has collaborated with brands such as Levi’s, GAP, and H&M.

Supported by the Kering Material Innovation Lab (MIL), a world leader in sustainable textiles, who supports both the group’s iconic houses (Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga…) and a new generation of designers in developing responsible creations, S|STYLE - DENIM LAB will showcase the latest projects of 8 rising designers.

Kristian Guerra, Head Designer at 44 Level Group, signs the concept and art direction for the Denim Forum and will share his experimental vision of contemporary denim in an exclusive talk.

Innovation takes center stage with eco-designed materials such as cacao fiber developed by Doors, or bio-based dyes by Chloris Biochem, Emily Gubbay’s circular colour system, cutting-edge technologies, and sustainable processes like Calik’s zero-water dyeing method. Responsible luxury is represented by exhibitors including Geocot, Stylem Takisada, Caitac, and ISKO, who bring exceptional fabrics and high-end creativity to the pursuit of ever more desirable and durable denim.

Over 65 international exhibitors will showcase their SS27 collections, including 60% weavers, 20% garment makers, 6% accessory suppliers, and 5% chemical producers—covering the full denim supply chain. 

Highlights of the show:- 

FASHION DISTRICT

The Fashion District doubles its size to welcome more than 20 ready-to-wear and accessory brands. Rising talents and established labels will unveil exclusive capsule collections co-created with denim exhibitors.

Daily Blue by Adriano Goldschmied, Demiurgo, Emina Batik, Fade Out Label, Gimmi Jeans, Hooded Myv, Kentroy Yearwood, Lucia Chains, Marios, Nik Gallo, Simon Cracker, Stripes Of-F Road, Tmmt Clothing, Victor Hart

S|STYLE - DENIM LAB - supported by Kering Material Innovation Lab (MIL)

Founded in 2020 by Giorgia Cantarini, journalist and stylist, S|STYLE is the independent platform dedicated to emerging creatives who want to work with sustainable criteria. The 2025 edition, in collaboration with KERING MIL, Kering's Material Innovation Lab, focuses on denim and responsible water management, in line with Kering Water's Strategy for a net positive water impact by 2050. As guest of honor, Kering’s MIL partners with 8 brands that will be presented in the Fashion District. — Gerrit Jacob, Gisèle Claudia Ntsama, Institution, Jeanne Friot, Macy Grimshaw, Nadya Dzyak, Phan Dang Hoang and Sia Arnika — to develop projects that merge creativity and sustainability. The exhibition space will feature a site-specific installation created to emphasize the identity and the value of the project. using recycled and denim fabrics, enhancing the designers’ creations.

TREND FORECASTING

Denim specialist Julieta Mercerat (Première Vision) and trend expert Amy Leverton (Denim Dudes) will present the SS27 denim forecast in 2 exclusive season seminars to explore the cultural narratives shaping the future of jeans. Full conference program here.

DENIM INDEX

A brand-new area showcasing over 150 fabric and accessory samples from 30 exhibitors. This curated selection is designed to facilitate material sourcing for jeans production and to provide a clear and immediate overview of the show’s global offer.

DENIM FORUM

Imagined by Kristian Guerra, this forum offers a unique interpretation of SS27 trends through an innovation materials zone and, for the first time, an exhibition of silhouettes created with exhibitors’ fabrics.

SPORTSWEAR INTERNATIONAL - 50 YEARS ANNIVERSARY

The iconic publication celebrates its 50th anniversary with two evening events in collaboration with Denim Première Vision and Pioneer Denim on November 26, on-site.

Exhibition Review: Towner Eastbourne presents Impressions in Watercolour: J.M.W. Turner and his Contemporaries

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851), better known as J. M. W. Turner, is widely hailed as one of Britain’s greatest and most influential artists. Alongside his celebrated contemporary — and lifelong rival — John Constable, Turner reshaped the course of landscape painting. Born just a year apart, the two came from markedly different backgrounds, yet shared a determination to elevate the landscape genre and redefine how the natural world could be seen.

Joseph Mallord William Turner, Sarner See, c.1844. Private Collection. Photo © Fisheye Images

As Tate Britain prepares to open a major exhibition devoted to these two giants, another institution is marking a significant Turner milestone. To celebrate the 250th anniversary of Turner’s birth, the Towner Art Gallery in Eastbourne, East Sussex, is turning the spotlight not on the oil paintings for which he is best known, but on the medium that shaped his early career and remained central throughout his life: watercolour.

The Towner exhibition, “Impressions in Watercolour: J. M. W. Turner and His Contemporaries”, running until 12 April 2026, brings together an exceptional selection of Turner’s watercolours alongside works by artists from the flourishing British watercolour tradition of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It offers a rare opportunity to see how Turner, even in his youth, pushed watercolour far beyond topographical accuracy towards the atmospheric, luminous effects that would come to define his mature style.

Joseph Mallord William Turner, Mount Pilatus from across the Lake of Lucerne, c.1844.
Private Collection. Photo © Fisheye Images

Turner’s story is one of ambition and relentless curiosity. From modest beginnings, he travelled widely — across Britain and throughout Europe, from the Swiss Alps to the Italian lakes and the banks of the Rhine — seeking dramatic vistas and shifting weather that could challenge and expand his artistic vision. In doing so, he redefined landscape painting as something poetic, emotional and profoundly modern.

J. M. W. Turner’s watercolours are presented alongside those of his notable contemporaries, highlighting Turner at his most experimental and expressive through a selection of his landscape and seascape works.
Photo courtesy of Towner Eastbourne.

Today, Turner remains a cornerstone of British cultural identity — immortalised on the £20 note and revered as the creator of some of the most iconic depictions of sea, sky and light ever painted. The Eastbourne exhibition is a timely reminder that his genius was not forged in oil alone, but also in the shimmering, transparent delicacy of watercolour — the medium through which he first learned to capture the world anew.

Visitors from the South Sussex coastal towns will be delighted to find works depicting familiar landscapes. Turner created many pieces for the Sussex esquire John Fuller (1757–1834), including Pevensey Bay from Crowhurst Park (1816), an etching on paper showing sweeping views over Bexhill — a stone’s throw from Eastbourne — from the elevated vantage point of the Pelham family estate, with the Eastbourne headland visible in the distance.

Joseph Mallord William Turner, A boat near a buoy in a rough sea, c.1830.
Private Collection. Photo © Fisheye Images

Interpretive notes accompanying the displays highlight Turner’s relationships with other significant artists of the period, whose watercolours — drawn from the Towner Collection — are showcased alongside his own. Their inclusion demonstrates the dynamism of the British watercolour movement during this era.

Among the key figures is John Robert Cozens (1752–1797), a British Romantic watercolourist whose atmospheric style greatly influenced the next generation, including Turner. By 1794, as Cozens’ health declined, his physician and patron Dr Thomas Monro employed young artists such as Thomas Girtin and Turner to copy Cozens’ compositions. Girtin sketched the outlines; Turner washed in the colour and effects. The two young artists, close in age and modest in background, became friends and even shared a studio, though their careers diverged — Turner advancing through the Royal Academy, while Girtin pursued a more commercial path under the tutelage of Edward Dayes (1763–1804). Girtin is often credited, alongside Turner, with transforming watercolour into a medium of grandeur and atmosphere. His Windsor Park and Castle (c. 1796–98), viewed from the Thames, is among the notable works represented.

The exhibition also includes works by Louis Thomas Francia (1772–1839), a French émigré who joined Girtin’s Sketching Society and, upon returning to Calais, tutored the prodigiously talented Richard Parkes Bonington (1802–1828). Other contemporaries represented include David Cox (1783–1859), known for fresh, spontaneous studies and loose, textural brushwork; Peter de Wint (1784–1849), celebrated for his warm, luminous English landscapes; and a strong line-up of later practitioners such as Amy Reeve-Fowkes (1896–1968), Alfred Rich (1856–1921), Albert Goodwin (1845–1932), Frank Dobson (1867–1963), Thomas Bush Hardy (1842–1897), Henry Hine (1811–1895), George Clarkson Stanfield (1828–1878) and Anthony Vandyke Copley Fielding (1787–1855).

From Sussex itself, the exhibition features Harold Swanwick (1866–1929), who settled in the village of Wilmington near Eastbourne and found inspiration in the South Downs and its farming communities. His works sit alongside local scenes from Eastbourne, Alfriston, Seaford and Brighton — images that will charm residents of the south coast.

Also represented is Charles Knight (1901–1990), who lived and worked in Brighton and played a key role in the artistic community of Ditchling. His watercolour style was shaped by John Sell Cotman (1782–1842) of the Norwich School, whose own works, including the highly prized Trees near the River Greta (1805), appear in the exhibition. Cotman’s simplified forms and muted harmonies anticipate modernist sensibilities.

Through this exceptional range of works, the exhibition traces Turner’s artistic development from a topographical draughtsman — producing precise architectural and landscape views, as was common in late 18th-century Britain — to a visionary experimenter. By the 1790s, he was already demonstrating remarkable technical skill, often depicting ruins, castles and sweeping landscapes influenced by picturesque and Romantic ideals. Throughout his career he filled dozens of sketchbooks with watercolour studies, many later serving as the basis for oil paintings. His watercolours of the 1820s and 1830s are widely regarded as his mature period, marked by atmospheric luminosity and techniques — thin washes, wet-on-wet blending, minimal outlines — that anticipated Impressionism. In his later years, his watercolours became increasingly abstract, helping fuel a vibrant British watercolour movement stretching across several generations.

“Impressions in Watercolour: J. M. W. Turner and His Contemporaries” is organised by the Holburne Museum in Bath, which this year published a book of the same name with Pallas Athene, featuring an extended essay by Turner scholar Ian Warrell - curator of the exhibition - examining the works and the artists who shaped Turner’s world.

Many of the pieces on display come from a private collection assembled by Sir Hickman Bacon (1855–1945), a baronet who acquired a remarkable number of Turner’s sketches, helping preserve some of the artist’s most intimate works for posterity.

Towner Eastbourne is hosting a number of events including panel discussions, tours and courses to enhance a deeper experience of the exhibition. 

Photos courtesy of Towner Eastbourne.