By Carlotta Cacciamani. Image Orizzonti | Rosso Valentino Garavani’s exhibition at its new cultural venue PM23, located at Piazza Mignanelli 23 Rome – Photo courtesy Whatever Milan.
When Fashion Exhibitions Are the New Runway to Watch in 2025
Fashion’s latest runway? The museum. From red carpets to white walls, today’s most iconic looks are leaving the streets and heading straight to galleries. Fashion is no longer just about style; it’s now regarded as art under a spotlight.
More and more often, fashion is stepping off the runway and into glass cases, illuminated by exhibition lights, and displayed on the stark white walls of museums and galleries. What was once a metaphor has now become a cultural reality. But what happens when a garment is no longer worn and becomes an object to be admired, much like a painting or sculpture? This shift is becoming increasingly common, especially in the fashion capitals of the world.
The Shift From Wearable Clothes to Cultural Symbols: next Fashion Exhibitions in Summer 2025
For fashion houses, this transformation raises a big question: What does it mean when clothing, originally designed for everyday function and flair, becomes something to be admired rather than worn? As garments transition from functional to symbolic, they lose their original purpose and gain a whole new meaning. This shift is evident not only in traditional museum spaces but also at iconic events like the MET Gala in New York, the most anticipated night in fashion worldwide. Held every first Monday of May every year, the Gala allows designers to express their most theatrical visions, completely unfettered by practicality.
The spectacle continues beyond the red carpet, as the Costume Institute’s annual exhibition at The Met remains open through October, presenting fashion as a contemporary art form. This year’s theme, Superfine: Tayloring Blackstyle (on view until October 26), is a powerful retrospective dedicated to Black designers, exploring how fashion has become a tool of identity, resistance, and liberation for the Black community—a blend of style, storytelling, and social impact.
Immersive Fashion Exhibitions Summer 2025 from Milan to Paris
At the same time, fashion houses are embracing a curatorial approach by organising solo-show-style exhibitions that feel more like artist retrospectives than brand presentations. A standout example is Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda project, which debuted in Milan in 2023 and is currently showcased at Palazzo Fendi in Rome. This project offers more than just clothing—it provides an immersive experience. Think velvet-lined walls, glowing display cases, and ambient music—the whole setup evokes a secular cathedral of luxury.
In these curated spaces, fashion finally sheds its wearable function and becomes something sacred—objects meant to be contemplated rather than worn. It’s fascinating to see an industry rooted in the fleeting present reach for something more enduring. Suddenly, we’re discussing “archives,” “iconic pieces,” and “one-of-a-kind works.” But behind this aesthetic elevation lies a savvy cultural and marketing strategy: to transform a brand into heritage, to earn artistic legitimacy, and to build deeper emotional loyalty through memory, wonder, and storytelling.
Not every garment is intended to be worn; some are created for display rather than for the body, meant to be observed rather than lived in. Consider the work of Dutch designer Iris van Herpen, whose visionary creations blur the line between haute couture and technology. Her 3D-printed sculptural dresses, inspired by biology and architecture, are as lightweight as air and almost immaterial—more suited for a glass display case than a runway. Unsurprisingly, her work has already been featured in prestigious institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
How Museums Embracing Fashion in 2025
Museums, too, are evolving to embrace the growing dialogue between fashion and art. While The Met continues to expand its focus on fashion, other major institutions are following suit. In 2025, the Louvre hosted its first-ever exhibition entirely devoted to fashion, titled Louvre Couture. This powerful exhibition juxtaposed haute couture with historical masterpieces, featuring designs by Balenciaga, Chanel, Yohji Yamamoto, and Iris van Herpen. Meanwhile, London’s Victoria & Albert Museum keeps pushing the conversation forward with blockbuster exhibitions like the monographic Cartier: Crafting the Exceptional, showcasing breathtaking historical jewelry and timepieces (on view through November 16), and Marie Antoinette Style, the UK’s first exhibition exploring the legacy of fashion’s most iconic queen (open until September 20).
The growing presence of fashion in museum spaces is clearly reflected in the latest global exhibition calendars. From Paris to London, from Milan to Rome, 2025 is filled with must-see shows that trace the transformation of clothing from a functional necessity to a cultural symbol. If you’re ready to dive into a dreamlike universe of craftsmanship and couture, here are some standout exhibitions to catch.
5 Amazing Fashion Exhibitions Summer 2025 from Milan to Paris
Valentino’s Stunning Orizzonti | Rosso Fashion and Art Exhibition
In Rome, the Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation has recently opened a striking new cultural venue called PM23, located at Piazza Mignanelli 23, right next to Valentino’s historic atelier. Housed in a beautifully restored 19th-century building, the space is poised to become a creative hub where fashion, art, and architecture intersect.
Its debut exhibition, Orizzonti | Rosso, running until October 30, offers a deep dive into Valentino’s signature red, Rosso Valentino. The exhibition features 50 haute couture looks spanning from the late 1950s to 2008, displayed alongside 30 modern and contemporary artworks by renowned artists such as Rothko and Basquiat, all connected by a common chromatic theme.
Curated by Pamela Golbin, known for the landmark 2008 MAD exhibition in Paris, and Anna Coliva, the exhibition unfolds across five thematic sections: beauty, identity, emotional landscapes, surfaces, and dream. It creates a rich visual dialogue between fashion and art, with the colour red serving as a poetic language throughout the show. More than just a fashion museum, PM23 aims to establish itself as a permanent cultural platform, hosting workshops, events, and creative exchanges that firmly position fashion within the landscape of contemporary visual culture.
Fashion Exhibitions Summer 2025 on Display: Couture As Cultural Experience
Explore Giorgio Armani Privé 2005-2025: 20 Years of Haute Couture at Armani/Silos
At Armani/Silos in Milan, an exhibition space conceived by Giorgio Armani to narrate his career, a new showcase titled Giorgio Armani Privé 2005–2025 – Twenty Years of Haute Couture is now on display. For the first time in Italy, Armani’s entire couture output—normally showcased in Paris—is on view through around 150 selected pieces from 40 different collections. Instead of arranging garments chronologically, they are organised thematically by colour, craftsmanship, and cultural influences, spread across the four levels of the former industrial warehouse. Personally curated by Armani himself, the exhibition highlights the creative freedom that haute couture affords, transcending the boundaries of ready-to-wear.
Standout pieces include iconic looks worn by Irina Shayk and Cate Blanchett, along with intricate details showcasing sartorial craftsmanship and artistic inspirations drawn from various regions, including Asia. The aim is to make the traditionally exclusive world of haute couture accessible to a broader audience, transforming fashion into an immersive cultural experience.
The show runs until December 28, 2025, further establishing Armani/Silos as an essential institution that sits at the intersection of fashion, art, and architecture.
The Largest Ever Versace Fashion Exhibition Opens in London
Starting July 16, 2025, Arches London Bridge will host the Gianni Versace Retrospective, marking the largest exhibition dedicated to the legendary designer in the UK. With over 450 original pieces from the 1980s and 90s—including looks worn by Princess Diana, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, George Michael, and Elton John—the exhibition offers a deep dive into Versace’s flamboyant universe.
Curated by Karl von der Ahe (Dreamrealizer), this showcase combines fashion, accessories, sketches, archival footage, and photography to trace the emotional craftsmanship and cultural impact that made Versace a defining force in pop culture and the ‘90s supermodel glam era. Designed to reflect the designer’s unique relationship with London, the exhibition explores the connections between fashion, music, art, and British celebrity culture. It’s a must-see for anyone curious about the performative and visual power of fashion—no longer just something to wear, but an experience to be explored, absorbed, and admired within a contemporary urban context.
Fashion Exhibitions Summer 2025 in France- Dior and Dance: When Couture Meets Ballet at Galerie Dior, Paris
Until September 30, 2025, Galerie Dior, located at 30 Avenue Montaigne in Paris, is hosting an exhibition entirely dedicated to dance—a form that has long influenced Dior’s creative language. The show features around 150 iconic designs, original sketches, and previously unseen archival materials that chart the evolution of dance in Dior’s work, starting from the 1947 ballet Treize Danses, commissioned by Christian Dior himself, to Maria Grazia Chiuri’s more recent stage costumes, including those for Chapter 3: The Brutal Journey of the Heart (2019). This immersive show blurs the lines between haute couture, art, and movement, emphasising the deep aesthetic connection between dance and design. The entire installation is conceived as a visual choreography, where garments transform into kinetic poetry—fluid, expressive, and rich in meaning.
Temple of Love: Rick Owens at Palais Galliera, Paris
Meanwhile, in Paris, the Palais Galliera unveils Temple of Love, the most ambitious retrospectiveever dedicated to designer Rick Owens, which runs until January 4, 2026. The exhibition features over 100 silhouettes from Owens’ archives—from his early days in Los Angeles to his latest collections in Paris. Visitors can also explore rare documents, immersive installations, and video works. Co-curated by Owens and Palais Galliera magazine, the exhibition extends beyond the museum’s walls, incorporating the facade, garden, and outdoor spaces. Guests will encounter statues wrapped in sequins, brutalist concrete sculptures, and even a recreation of the California bedroom that Owens once shared with Michèle Lamy.
