V&A Dundee: Fashion house Dior's takeover of Scottish castle gardens to feature in new Catwalk exhibition
The exhibition at the V&A Dundee will feature Dior’s takeover of Drummond Castle Gardens in Perthshire.
Dior’s takeover of a Scottish castle gardens last year and theatrical spectacles seen at the shows of designer Alexander McQueen will be among the fashion events explored in a new exhibition to be launched in Scotland.
V&A Dundee will host Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show dedicated to the phenomenon of the fashion show, from April next year. A separate exhibition celebrating disabled design and culture will also be shown at the museum next year.
Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show will trace the evolution of the catwalk from the private fashion salons of the late 19th century to today’s live-stream experiences documenting over 100 years of fashion show history.
Spotlighting the creativity, energy and impact of catwalks, the exhibition brings together landmark examples from renowned fashion houses such as Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Chanel, Dior, Maison Margiela, Prada, Paco Rabanne, Viktor & Rolf, Louis Vuitton and Yoji Yamamoto, amongst others.
Exploring the history and cultural significance of the runway, Catwalk will document seminal moments in fashion. These include the theatrical spectacles seen at McQueen and dramatic show settings such as Fendi at the Great Wall of China, Dior’s takeover of Drummond Castle Gardens in Perthshire for its Cruise 2025 collection show last summer and Chanel’s staging of a rocket launch.
Film and photographs, as well as original collection pieces, stage props and a wealth of archival material, will be used in the exhibition to create a vivid experience of the catwalk from its beginnings to the present day.
Kirsty Hassard, co-curator of Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show at V&A Dundee, said: “Fashion shows are more than just moments on a runway - they’re defining moments in culture that reflect the spirit of their time, bringing together a multitude of different design disciplines, including hair and make-up, set design, lighting, photography and many more.
“This UK-first exhibition is a celebration of over 100 years of catwalk history, exploring the underlying dreams and motivations behind the catwalk concepts, revealing how they’ve shaped not only what we wear, but how we see ourselves.”
Meanwhile, Design and Disability, an exhibition that centres disability as an identity and culture through design, will travel from V&A South Kensington to V&A Dundee, opening on June 4 next year.
Showcasing the radical contributions of disabled, deaf, and neurodivergent people to contemporary design and culture from the 1940s to now, Design and Disability will showcase around 170 objects spanning design, art, architecture, fashion and photography. The exhibition will show how disabled people have designed for every aspect of life through their own experience and expertise.
The showcase will also demonstrate how design can be made more equitable and accessible and aim towards design justice, and will also explore the rich history of disabled designers challenging ableism in the industry. Industry-leading commercial design such as the world’s first commercially made adaptive Xbox controller by Microsoft and the original prototypes of the OXO Good Grips proposed by Betsey and Sam Farber with Smart Design will be on display.
Natalie Kane, curator of Design and Disability at the V&A, said: “This exhibition shows how disabled people are the experts in their own lives, and have made invaluable contributions to our designed world.”
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