The gallery and museum venue represent a new era of exposition for emerging designers.  Fashion designers are part of the creative community and as artists can showcase their work beyond the ‘runway’.

• One format is that shows can be curated with a collective vision of both a historical context and a relevance to contemporary culture. The Met [The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York] and V&A [Victoria and Albert Museum in London ] are landmark elite institutions that do this with a slant to the historical context. The Mode Museum [MOMU], the fashion museum in the Province of Antwerp, takes this exhibition further by presenting contemporary fashion – fashion’s relevant impact for today. Although there are other museums across the globe that showcase fashion, this form of exposure still represents an opportunity to bring fashion into the mainstream for both the public and the fashion industry.

• Another format of exhibiting fashion at a gallery or museum takes on a dynamic of engagement and interaction.  The outcome of dialogue and conversation leads to feedback, exchange, and closure.

These images are from The HUD Gallery Ventura, which are an example of the latter format.  Alena Sablan, the designer, was present at this exhibition.  The experience was an intimate engagement with her about her designs.   As a buyer/retailer or consumer, you learn about the inspiration, the journey, and the process of executing this body of work from the designer.  The exchange of dialogue brings meaning to fashion and a reason to buy [or not to buy].   All in all, a bit of cultural history is documented from our creative engine.

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