Exhibition Launch: Barbican London Unveils Landmark Fashion Exhibition ‘Dirty Looks’ on 25 September

The Barbican in London is to unveil Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion, a major new exhibition exploring fashion’s fascination with dirt, decay and imperfection.  Opening on 25 September 2025, the show brings together more than 60 designers, from global icons to emerging names, in an ambitious survey of how contemporary fashion has turned wear and tear into a source of rebellion, play and reinvention.

Dirty Looks, Installation view, Barbican Art Gallery, 25 Sep 2025 -  25 Jan 2026
Image: © David Parry /  Barbican Art Gallery

Long seen as the antithesis of luxury’s ideals of beauty and glamour, the aesthetics of damage and imperfection have increasingly shaped avant-garde design over the past half-century. Designers have used fraying, staining and decomposition not only as acts of provocation but also as a way to reimagine ornament, materials and sustainability. For some, these practices carry deeper spiritual and cultural significance, drawing on indigenous traditions and alternative understandings of beauty.

Designer Hussein Chalayan, Map Reading (detail) 2001
Photograph by Ellen Sampson

Highlights of Dirty Looks include garments that elevate stains into intricate handcraft, dresses designed to celebrate their own ruination, and pieces created by submerging clothing in peat bogs or transforming fast-fashion waste. Works by Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Maison Margiela will sit alongside bespoke installations by Hussein Chalayan, Ma Ke, Yuima Nakazato and Bubu Ogisi of IAMISIGO.   In 1993, Hussein Chalayan’s groundbreaking graduate collection The Tangent Flows featured garments buried with iron filings in a friend’s London backyard. The resulting rusted dresses challenged conventional ideas of clothing, presenting garments as living, organic entities—tied to the earth and subject to cycles of decay and renewal. 

Dirty Looks, Installation view, Barbican Art Gallery, Thu 25 Sep 2025 - Sun 25 Jan 2026
Image: © David Parry /  Barbican Art Gallery

While distressed clothing no longer shocks in the same way, a new generation of designers continues to explore dirt and decay for their symbolic resonance, using them to imagine renewal, resistance, and alternative futures for fashion.  A spotlight is shone on the new wave of designers pushing fashion’s boundaries. London-based talents such as Paolo Carzana, Alice Potts, Michaela Stark, Solitude Studios and Yaz XL are presenting newly commissioned works, joined by international voices including New York’s Elena Velez.

Designer Martin Margiela, Menswear SS2005
Photograph by Ellen Sampson

The Barbican Art Gallery’s spaces will be radically reimagined by Studio Dennis Vanderbroeck, known for its theatrical approach to fashion and stage design. Drawing from fashion’s obsession with the illusion of wear and decay, the design will create a tension between the smooth, white spaces of the gallery and intentionally ‘destroyed’ surface treatments.

A catalogue published by MACK will accompany the exhibition, featuring essays from leading thinkers including Caroline Evans, Fabio Cleto and Sunny Dolat, with original object photography by Ellen Sampson.

Shanay Jhaveri, Head of Visual Arts, Barbican, said: “Dirty Looks signals the Barbican’s bold return to fashion as a vital strand of our visual arts programming – one that recognises fashion not only as a form of artistic expression, but also as a lens through which to examine cultural, environmental and political urgencies. This exhibition brings together a remarkable breadth of global designers who are radically reshaping what fashion can mean and do today. With its focus on decay, renewal and the aesthetics of imperfection, Dirty Looks invites us to reconsider beauty, value and the regenerative power of making in a world in flux.”

A programme of events will run alongside the exhibition, including a “Dirty Weekend” festival across the Barbican and a poetic performance, with further details to follow.

Next time when someone tells you that you look scruffy, point them to Dirty Looks.  It would certainly open their eyes.

Designers featured in Dirty Looks include ACNE Studios, Comme des Garçons, Rick Owens, Zandra Rhodes, Issey Miyake, Moschino, Paco Rabanne, Viktor & Rolf and Junya Watanabe, among many others.

Dirty Looks at the Barbican from 25 September 2025 to 25 January 2026.

Photos courtesy of Barbican Art Gallery

Wool Event: Campaign for Wool Celebrates 15 Years with Call to 'Check It's Wool'

The Campaign for Wool is marking its 15th anniversary this October with a renewed push to promote wool as a sustainable alternative to synthetic fibres. The global initiative, originally launched in 2010 by King Charles III—then the Prince of Wales—is using the milestone to urge consumers to “Check It’s Wool” when making textile purchases.

The campaign, which has grown to include over 1,000 companies worldwide across sectors such as farming, fashion, interior design and manufacturing, continues to advocate for wool as one of nature’s most versatile and eco-conscious fibres.

“As we mark this milestone, our mission remains more relevant than ever,” said Peter Ackroyd, Chairman of the Campaign for Wool. “Wool is not only natural, renewable and biodegradable—the simple act of choosing wool can help reduce our impact on the planet. It breaks down in soil and water without releasing harmful microplastics.”

Wool’s appeal lies not just in its natural credentials, but also in its remarkable versatility. As a trans-seasonal material, it provides thermal regulation—keeping wearers warm in winter and cool in summer—making it an ideal choice for year-round fashion. In interiors, wool’s insulating properties help regulate indoor temperatures, offering energy-saving benefits while contributing to comfort and wellbeing. Its inherent breathability, durability, and resistance to odours further enhance its value across everyday applications.

From finely spun merino garments to robust upholstery and elegant rugs, wool continues to redefine modern luxury with a conscience. It is entirely renewable, with sheep producing a new fleece every year, and fully biodegradable, returning safely to the earth without leaving behind microplastic waste. As consumer awareness grows around the environmental cost of fast fashion and synthetic materials, wool offers a practical, planet-friendly alternative that supports both sustainable design and responsible consumption.

The anniversary will be marked by a wide-ranging programme of events across the UK and abroad. These include educational showcases, artisan-led workshops, interactive installations, and pop-up retail spaces designed to highlight wool’s role in circular design, marine safety, soil health, and sustainable living.

British brands taking part in the campaign include Vivienne Westwood, Gieves & Hawkes, Brora, Johnstons of Elgin, Amy Powney, and Finisterre, among others. Their involvement reflects the continued relevance of wool in modern fashion and design.

Founded as a not-for-profit initiative, the Campaign for Wool aims to raise awareness about the environmental benefits of wool and its wide-ranging uses. King Charles has long advocated for the fibre’s unique technical and ecological advantages, describing it as a sustainable solution in both fashion and home interiors.

More information about the campaign and its upcoming events can be found on campaignforwool.org and at @campaignforwool.

Images courtesy of Campaign for Wool

Designer Auction: Christie's to host "Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection" auction in June 2024

Auction house Christie’s is presenting "Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection" in two parts: a live auction (Part I) on June 25 2024 and an online sale (Part II) from June 14 to June 28 2024 with proceeds to benefit causes that Vivienne championed.

A film footage on show in Christie's London headquarters feature Westwood describing how she drew inspiration directly from London's Wallace Collection museum's rich artistic heritage.  She reinterpreted elements from the museum's artworks, integrating them into her designs, resulting in a unique fashion line characterized by her signature style, a blend of punk influences and historical references.

"Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection" features the late designer's personal wardrobe, showcasing some of the most iconic looks she created and wore over the past four decades. 

This historically and culturally significant collection includes garments, shoes, and jewelry exclusively from Dame Vivienne Westwood’s fashion house, with the earliest piece dating back to the Witches collection for autumn/winter 1983/84.

All items included in the Christie's auction have been on display in London for potential bidders and fans alike.

One notable section highlighted Westwood's connection with the Wallace Collection museum in London, renowned for its extensive range of fine and decorative arts from the 15th to the 19th centuries. 

Westwood, known for drawing inspiration from historical art, designed a fashion collection in 2019 inspired by the museum's masterpieces. 

This collaboration, called the "Wallace Collection Collection," showcased her ability to blend historical art with contemporary fashion. 

The live auction on June 25 will also highlight "THE BIG PICTURE – Vivienne’s Playing Cards: Collect the cards. Connect the cards." In 2017, Dame Vivienne designed a deck of playing cards titled ‘A Strategy 2 Save the World’ as a blueprint for planetary preservation. These prints address critical issues like climate change, social inequality, and human rights, reflecting the concerns that dominated her work. Before her passing, she selected ten powerful graphics to be enlarged and signed the large-scale ‘cards’ posthumously. This project, managed by The Vivienne Foundation, will see proceeds causes that Vivienne championed, including The Vivienne Foundation, Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières, and Greenpeace, according to the wishes of the late designer.

Dame Vivienne Westwood is celebrated as one of Britain's greatest fashion designers and arguably the most iconic designer of the late 20th century. She leveraged her influence to tackle pressing global issues and founded The Vivienne Foundation to collaborate with NGOs to create a better society and combat climate change.

The iconic looks of Ms Westwood's collection is free to view at Christie's in London at 8 King Street, St. James's, from 14–24 June 2024. Tickets are not required for the exhibition.

All photos at Christie's London from "Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection" by Lucia Carpio.

Exhibition: Vivienne Westwood's legendary Corsets on show in the late designer's flagship London store

There is little doubt the late designer Vivienne Westwood's legacy is often defined by her legendary corsets.

Audrey Corseted Dress
SS 2023 Collection
in the Shop window of
Vivienne Westwood London Mayfair flagship

And currently as part of London Craft Week, the fashion house is hosting an exhibition of a selection of her revolutionary corsets in her London Mayfair flagship store, charting the history of her creations, from the first corset she produced in the mid-80s to those from her most recent collection before her death in December. 

Each piece in the "Vivienne Westwood Corsets: 1987 to Present Day" show demonstrates Westwood's ingenuity in corsetry design.  The show also includes those created by her partner and husband, Andreas Kronthaler.

As evidenced in her creations, Vivienne Westwood reinvented the corset by updating a structure that dates to the 18th century.

Exploring the house’s subversion of corsetry from 1987 to the present day, "Vivienne Westwood Corsets" examines the late designer’s approach to underwear as outerwear. 

In the shop window is the Audrey Corseted Dress featuring an ivory silk satin column design, with a sculpted corset top.  The iconic Westwood broken pearls cascade from the neckline, lending a classic style an asymmetrical touch.  It was first shown in the couture bridal collection of 2022, evoking the golden age of the silver screen,

The exhibition pieces on display in the shop are not labeled but visitors can get detailed information on each piece via QR code scanning, through which one can also hear experts discuss the featured corset pieces, including narrations by Alexander Fury, fashion journalist, author and critic.

Above, Sunday Corset
Vivienne Westwood Spring-Summer 2023 "Born to Rewild" Collection, inspired by the sweetheart curved line of the "Gigi" corset, from the Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood collection.

Above, from left to right, Court Corset Dress, Short-sleeved Court Corset, and Historcal Corset.

The "Vivienne Westwood Corsets" exhibition illustrates the historical corset as a constant source of inspiration for Vivienne Westwood's collections through her creative life as the designer proceeded to refine her vision of extreme silhouettes.

From the designer's Gold Label Spring-Summer 2012 "War & Peace" collection is the Short-sleeved Court Corset of which the Westwood said In her collection notes, "For some time I wanted to do oversized historical corsets.  I thought I could give them a feeling of armour, worn as a jacket they would look tough - like a soldier or a biker.  The corsets we chose to oversize are from the England of Charles II".  

On the elaborately embroidered Court Corset Dress also from the designer's Gold Label Spring-Summer 2012 "War & Peace" collection, Westwood expressed in the show notes, "By engaging with human genius, I have tried to capture the past in my fashion.  But we can never repeat, we are swept along by the changing times and our own experience.  When we try to imitate we find ourselves doing something new.  I see fashion as a proposal, a way for people to look more wonderful."

The Historical Corset from the Gold Label autumn-winter 2012/13 "London" collection is a one-shoulder corset that illustrates Westwood's subversion of historical cuts to inspire and sculpt the shape of the Gold Label collection. The asymmetry in this piece is an element that is recurrent throughout Vivienne Westwood designs.  In most cases, this is a reference to the movement of drapery against the body within paintings, the idea of "spontaneous gestures, then captured and frozen in cloth." said Alexander Fury.

The Sunday Corset from Westwood 's Spring-Summer 2023 "Born to Rewild" Collection, inspired by the sweetheart curved line of the "Gigi" corset, was from the Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood collection.  The Corset forms a base for a fluid draped triangle, which is pinched at the corners, then sweeps and twists across the shoulders, referencing the original '90s Sunday dress.

Two standout pieces for men are corset jackets embroidered with glass beads to represent the male torso. They were part of the first menswear show - MAN - in Milan in 1996 and created in collaboration with Mr Pearl, the renowned corsetier who famously had an 18in waist from wearing corsets. 

The Martyr to Love jacket is made in silk with glass beads.  With this piece, we witness a Surrealism of clothing through a nude body, in flesh.  The art references here adhere to the stylisation of wounds in medieval paintings and inspired the treatment of those marks. According to author Alexander Fury, the jacket itself is worn over a tight corset, recalling a male 19th century tradition of wearing corsets and foundation garments, to help achieve a figure reminiscent of classical Greek sculpture.

The Slave to Love jacket also features glass beads accentuating a masculine physique.  It played with ideas and ideals of masculinity and femininity, said Alexander Fury, corseting the male figure, yet creating an overall look that speaks of heroic masculinity.

Above left, Martyr to Love jacket; right, Slave to Love Jacket.

Above left, Aphrodite Corseted Dress; and right, New Bellini Dress, both from Spring/Summer 2023 Collection

The Aphrodite Corseted Dress is draped in silk chocolate brown satin chiffon, accompanied with gold-crystal net, a contemporary interpretation of the original silver crystal Cocotte bridal dress of the 1998 Spring Summer collection.  The skirt is created from just one seamless panel of crystal net to create a flattering line,  showcasing Westwood’s zero-waste cutting method.

Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong’o had worn a custom made Vivienne Westwood couture corset dress at the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiere in Lagos, Nigeria, last November.

The "Vivienne Westwood Corsets" exhibition demonstrates the important links of the corset to historical dress and culture, and it continues to serve as a valuable source of inspiration for Vivienne Westwood collections today.

V

The Vivienne Westwood Corsets exhibition is open until 21 May 2023 in the house’s flagship boutique at 44 Conduit Street, London.

In celebration of the Vivienne Westwood Corsets exhibition, a limited-edition jewellery collection has been created.  Featuring a three-dimensional charm of the original Westwood Portrait corset, which first appeared in the Vivienne Westwood Harris Tweed Autumn-Winter 1987/ 88 collection, it is accented with engraved branding for a bold appearance.

All photos by Lucia Carpio.

Dame Vivienne Westwood has died. She was 81

It is sad to learn another "Queen" has passed away in 2022.  

Dame Vivienne Westwood, you were the "Queen of Punk and British Fashion".  May you Rest In Peace.

After the death of the legendary designer was announced on Thursday, December 30th, Westwood's husband and creative partner Andreas Kronthaler said: "I will continue with Vivienne in my heart.

"We have been working until the end and she has given me plenty of things to get on with."

Now who will carry on the Westwood fashion House?  It has been reported that seasoned Welsh designer and close friend of Westwood Jeff Banks became a director of her company just before Christmas, when it was apparent Westwood was very ill. 

In 2022, we said goodbye to a number of luminaries of the fashion world, including Andre Leon Talley, the American fashion journalist, stylist, creative director and editor-at-large of Vogue magazine, Paris designer Thierry Mugler, and Japanese designer Issey Miyake.  And now Vivienne Westwood.

CATWALKING: FASHION THROUGH THE LENS OF CHRIS MOORE

Back in the days before the internet was invented and there were no digital cameras, professional fashion photographers played the important role of capturing key catwalk moments onto the pages of fashion magazines.

Yves Saint Laurent, Spring/Summer 1974

Now a new major exhibition at the Bowes Museum*, County Durham, north England, will highlight the key role played by one specific fashion photographer whose work has won him the accolade of the king of catwalk photography.

Comme des Garçons, Spring/Summer 2017

After carving a career that spans six decades, Chris Moore is still today capturing all the iconic catwalk moments in the fashion capitals of the world, from London to Paris, Milan and New York.

Balmain, Autumn/Winter 1977 

The new exhibition, CATWALKING: Fashion through the Lens of Chris Moore, running from 7 July until 6 January 2019, will bring a rare insight into the fashion world, with previously unseen images and glimpses of behind-the-scenes at shows.  

Vivienne Westwood
Autumn/Winter 1995

John Galliano
Spring/Summer 1993

The exhibition also charters the startling evolution of fashion over 60 years, demonstrating the impact that emerging designers had on fashion, the rebirth of haute couture, and the rise of the supermodel.

It offers an exclusive opportunity to see 200 original photographs, chosen by Moore from his extensive archive, taken at legendary fashion shows including those at Balenciaga, Chanel, Dior, John Galliano, Comme des Garҫons, Christopher Kane, Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent and Vivienne Westwood.  

Hussein Chalayan, Spring/Summer 2007
All images © Catwalking

A selection of original catwalk outfits, as seen in the accompanying photographs here, will be lent to the Museum by the world’s leading fashion houses in a unique collaboration.

“Chris Moore is the eye that shows the catwalk to the world. "

 Joanna Hashagen, Curator of Fashion and Textiles at The Bowes Museum, said: “Chris Moore is the eye that shows the catwalk to the world.  Our exhibition charts the evolution of fashion in displaying clothes and accessories by the top designers that are captured in Chris’s photographs -   Vivienne Westwood, Prada, Comme des Garҫons, Giles Deacon and Jean Paul Gaultier, to name just a few! I’m excited and honoured to be working with Chris Moore and (co-curator) Alex Fury, as The Bowes Museum becomes home to an exclusive fashion exhibition once again.”

Born in Newcastle, Moore entered the world of fashion in 1954, aged just 20, when he began work at Vogue Studio in London, assisting photographers including Henry Clarke and Cecil Beaton. By the late 1960s he was documenting the collections of designers such as Paco Rabanne, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent. Moore has worked with all the leading UK national newspapers and is also the founder of Catwalking.com, the first UK website dedicated to catwalk imagery.

The exhibition expands on Catwalking: photographs by Chris Moore, published by Laurence King, with words by Alexander Fury, an award-winning fashion journalist and critic. Fury, co-curator of the exhibition, said of its concept: “The excitement is in combining the ephemeral with the eternal – translating the fleeting ‘fashion moment’, experienced by so few at the international collections, cementing it through the reality of the clothes, and translating into an exhibition all can enjoy. These clothes will literally ‘leap,’ out of the images and back to life again.”

The exhibition opens on 7 July 2018, running until 6 January 2019, at the Bowes Museum*, County Durham, north England.

* The Bowes Museum which has undergone a major redevelopment, was created over 100 years ago by John and Joséphine Bowes, who built up their private collection of fine and decorative arts in the North of England and constructed a magnificent building to house them in.  The collection contains thousands of objects including furniture, paintings, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and many other items covering an extensive range of European styles and periods.

All images © Catwalking

Vivienne Westwood Milan host Stories of Italy, for Milan Design Week

Milan Design Week is held 12-17 April 2016, and for the forth year running, Vivienne Westwood, the fashion designer and iconic British brand host an exclusive design collaboration as part of Milan Design Week 2016.

The British fashion brand has partnered with design company ‘Stories of Italy’ for the international debut of its unique Italian home décor collections. 

This special installation is in the Vivienne Westwood Milan flagship store in Corso Venezia 25, and in the newly launched Vivienne Westwood accessories focused boutique in Porta Nuova , from 12 – 17 April 2016.

Stories of Italy

The inspiration at the core of Stories of Italy’s aesthetics comes from the great historical and cultural heritage of Italy; fittingly, their new collections explore the potential hidden behind marble and glass, two classic Italian materials that achieve pure, clean aesthetics but require rigourous craftsmanship and scrupulous know-how.

Stories of Italy was born with the aim of sharing the excellent craftmanship that distinguishes Italy as one of the leading countries for design and manufacturing in the world. The vases and tableware collections feature exquisite hand-made pieces in Carrara marble and Murano hand-blown glass, blending art, craft and design to capture the essence of these iconic Italian traditions.

Stories of Italy exhibit their glass and marble pieces alongside an ancient Murano working bench and original working tools, highlighting the heritage of the traditional manufacturing techniques.

Exhibition running: 12-17 April 2016

Addresses: 

Vivienne Westwood flagship store, Corso Venezia, 25 -

Vivienne Westwood boutique, Porta Nuova Via Vincenzo Capelli, 4