EDGE editors look ahead to the coming season of institutional fashion and textile exhibitions. This year’s global research reveals more than 20 highly recommended shows—intelligent, rigorously curated, and critically informed. Visionaries such as Rei Kawakubo, Vivienne Westwood, Elsa Schiaparelli, and the Antwerp Six—whose shared convictions challenged the status quo—continue to command respect for their avant-garde, unconventional, and conceptual design practices. Leading exhibitions include Westwood | Kawakubo at Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria, the V&A’s Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, and MoMu’s Antwerp Six, each offering a powerful lens on the artistic, social, and cultural currents that continue to shape fashion today.
The worlds of fashion and fine art have long intersected, shaped by a history of mutual influence and creative exchange. This ongoing dialogue continues to unfold within major cultural institutions worldwide. Art x Fashion at the Museum at FIT examines the often-overlooked integration of fashion and fine art; the V&A’s Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art explores Elsa Schiaparelli’s iconic fusion of art, couture, and artist collaborations; and Costume Art in The Met’s new 12,000-square-foot galleries presents fashion alongside fine art objects drawn from the museum’s collection. In Chicago, the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry spotlights the work of Oscar-winning costume designer and artist Paul Tazewell, celebrated for his extraordinary designs for the film Wicked.
On July 4, 2026, the United States marks its 250th anniversary. Institutions nationwide will commemorate this milestone with exhibitions that examine how clothing and textiles both reflect and shape American identity. Among them, the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan will present Fabric of America: Our Fashions, Textiles, and Technologies, a yearlong celebration of American ingenuity drawing from the museum’s extensive fashion and textile collections. In parallel, the Costume Society of America will publish Dress in America: 250 Years of American Fashion, a special issue of its journal Dress, exploring what defines American fashion, how national identities—past, present, and future—are constructed through dress, and the role of clothing in commemorating the American experience.
The online exhibition, Charles James: Genius Deconstructed, of the work of couturier Charles James is included in the Online Exhibition section.
For easy navigation, to jump directly to the featured exhibitions, please click: Westwood | Kawakubo, Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, Art X Fashion, Antwerp Six, Crafting Character: The Costumes of Paul Tazewell. Scroll below for the full list of exhibitions with convenient links and dates for reference.
Westwood | Kawakubo
“Radical visionaries who used the power of clothing to protest against social conventions,” is how Danielle Whitfield, co-curator for the exhibition Westwood | Kawakubo, describes the two most influential fashion designers in recent history. The National Gallery of Victoria’s (NGV) world-premiere exhibition of British designer Vivienne Westwood (1941 – 2022) and Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo (b. 1942) of Comme des Garçons boldly pairs two global icons—and true iconoclasts—of the fashion world for the first time. Born just a year apart in distinct countries and cultural landscapes, both designers have consistently disrupted the status quo with their radical, rule-breaking approaches to fashion. Their critically acclaimed collections challenge conventions of taste, gender, and beauty, redefining clothing’s form and function.
Through more than 140 groundbreaking designs from the NGV Collection and key international loans from institutions such as New York’s Metropolitan Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Vivienne Westwood archive, Westwood | Kawakubo explores the convergences and divergences between these two self-taught rebels of the fashion world.
Presented thematically, Westwood | Kawakubo highlights the defining collections and concerns of their practices—from the mid-1970s to today—inviting audiences to explore how they have rewritten fashion conventions throughout their careers. This includes the impact of the punk zeitgeist of the 1970s, innovative reinterpretations of historical references, groundbreaking design methodologies, and a bold examination of gender and the idealized body. The exhibition also showcases archival materials, photography, film, and runway footage, providing a glimpse into the minds and creative processes of these two icons.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a world-first publication, also titled Westwood | Kawakubo, exploring the intersecting histories of Westwood and Kawakubo with new reflections from industry experts including Jane Mulvaugh, Valerie Steele, Stephen Jones, Akiko Fukai and Dame Zandra Rhodes. On view 7 December 2025 – 19 April 2026.
Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art
“In difficult times fashion is always outrageous.” – Elsa Schiaparelli
Victoria & Albert Museum debut’s the UK’s first exhibition dedicated to Elsa Schiaparelli, Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, one of the 20th century’s most revolutionary fashion designers. Spanning the 1920s to today, it will showcase Schiaparelli’s pioneering impact on fashion, from her groundbreaking early designs to her modern-day legacy under creative director Daniel Roseberry.
The exhibition will feature over 200 objects, including iconic garments like the “Skeleton” and “Tears” dresses, as well as accessories, jewelry, and art by Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, and Man Ray.
Photo Credit: Skeleton Dress, designed by Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dalí, 1938. V&A © 2025 Salvador Dali, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, DACS. Photograph © Emil Larsson
With new research shedding light on Schiaparelli’s collaborations across fashion, art, and performance in Paris, London, and New York, the show celebrates her role as both an innovative designer and a trailblazing female entrepreneur. Key highlights include a focus on the London branch of her house and its dynamic clientele, offering a rare look at Schiaparelli’s diverse, boundary-pushing creativity. Delphine Bellini, CEO of Schiaparelli, said: “Elsa Schiaparelli’s fearless imagination and radical vision redefined the boundaries between fashion and art. This exhibition celebrates her enduring influence through iconic collaborations with 20th-century masters and a pioneering fusion of creativity and commerce …”. On view 21 March – 01 November 2026.
Art X Fashion
Curated by Dr. Elizabeth Way, curator of costume and accessories at The Museum at FIT (MFIT), Art X Fashion is a timely, intellectually charged exhibition that reframes fashion not as a derivative practice, but as a parallel cultural force to fine art. Drawing on more than 140 objects from MFIT’s permanent collection—encompassing garments, accessories, textiles, photography, and original artworks—the exhibition presents an interconnected history that challenges traditional hierarchies of visual culture.
At its core, Art X Fashion confronts the eternal—and increasingly urgent—question: Is fashion art? The exhibition explores the ways that fashion has always been a partner, not a follower, of fine art, highlighting historical context of how the two disciplines have worked together to create European styles, from the drama of Rococo and Neoclassical grandeur to the unsettling world of Surrealism, to the shock of Pop Art and postmodernism.
André Perugia for the Musée Charles Jourdan, leather and metal “Picasso” shoe, 1984 replica of 1953 original, France. Gift of Charles Jourdan ©The Museum at FIT,84.207.1_20180502_01
What Art X Fashion makes clear is that fashion has long functioned as a visual language—one capable of expressing ideology, identity, and creative intent with the same depth as fine art. “This exhibition will garner strong opinions and spark lively dialogue,” says Way. “But whether you decide that fashion is art or not, fashion’s strong and mutual relationship with fine art is undeniable.” On view 18 February – 19 April 2026.
Antwerp Six
In 1986, six fashion designers from Antwerp, Belgium, became an international success and helped shape fashion history. Mode Museum (MoMu) presents Antwerp Six, celebrating 40 years of their legacy and influence.
Curated by lead guest curator Geert Bruloot and MoMu curators Romy Cockx and Kaat Debo, the exhibition highlights the distinctive trajectory that connects the work of Dirk Bikkembergs, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, and Marina Yee. In 1986, as recent graduates of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, they each presented their own collections at the British Designer Show in London, and, within days, found themselves propelled into the media stratosphere. This international breakthrough, a rare phenomenon of a group making an impact on the international stage simultaneously, marked Antwerp’s rise as a fashion capital, with their designs still impacting international fashion today. On view 28 March 2026 – 17 January 2027
Crafting Character: The Costumes of Paul Tazewell
Chicago’s Griffin Museum of Science and Industry presents Crafting Character: The Costumes of Paul Tazewell. Paul Tazewell is a renowned costume designer in theater, film, and television with three decades of work, notable for being the first Black man to win an Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Wicked, and recognized with multiple accolades including Tony Awards for Death Becomes Her and Hamilton, an Emmy for The Wiz! Live, and an Oscar nomination for West Side Story.
This inspiring exhibition offers a look into Paul Tazewell’s creative process, showcasing the artistry and craftsmanship behind iconic costumes from Wicked, Hamilton, West Side Story, and more. His masterpieces, along with narration, videos, photos, and sketches, reveal a behind-the-scenes look at how imagination turns into reality, as celebrated by Dr. Chevy Humphrey, Griffin MSI CEO and President in a statement: “Through this exhibition and his personal story, he shows how imagination can become reality. Following his ideas from creation to conception offers a spark of inspiration for the next generation of innovators and creators who visit the Museum every day.”
Various costumes will be highlighted, including from Wicked, Glinda’s pink bubble dress and Elphaba’s Emerald City dress, and from Hamilton, the Schuyler Sisters’ Winter’s Ball gowns; Hamilton, Jefferson, and Burr’s suits; and King George III’s outfit. Opens 19 January 2026.
Online Exhibition
The Chicago History Museum explores the work of couturier Charles James, in their on-line show Charles James: Genius Deconstructed. In the 1920s, while living in Chicago, Charles James began his career and built a dedicated clientele. His dresses captivated the fashion world, but surviving examples of his work are so rare that many don’t recognize his talent. To understand James’s creativity, the Museum staff investigated some of his most iconic pieces by turning them inside out, studying, sketching, photographing, X-raying, and recreating them. View the exhibition at Google Arts & Culture.
Closing soon … Fall 2025 “MUST See” FASHION Exhibitions
[Lists are ranked by end date]
- Dress, Dreams, and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis, The Museum at FIT, New York, 10 September 2025 – 04 January 2026
- Liz Collins: Motherlode, RISD Museum, Providence, RI; 19 July 2025 – 11 January 2026
- Art Deco and Fashion: The Geometric Language of a Century, Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Chiyoda City, Japan; 11 October 2025 – 25 January 2026
- Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion, Barbican, London; 25 September 2025 – 25 January 2026
- Design and Disability, Victoria & Albert Museum, London; 07 June 2025 – 15 February 2026
- Andrew Gn: Fashioning the World, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA; 13 September 2025 – 16 February 2026
2026 MUST See Exhibitions
[Lists are ranked by end date]
- André Leon Talley: Style Is Forever, SCAD FASH Museums, Atlanta and Savannah, GA; 15 October 2025 – 01 March 2026
- Louvre Couture at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; 19 November 2025 – 15 March 2026
- Marie Antoinette Style, Victoria & Albert Museum, London; 20 September 2025 – 22 March 2026
- ¡Moda Hoy! Latin American and Latinx Fashion Design Today, Museo Franz Mayer, Mexico City; 11 December 2025 – 12 April 2026
- Westwood | Kawakubo, National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) International, Melbourne, Australia; 7 December 2025 – 19 April 2026
- Art X Fashion, The Museum at FIT, New York, NY; 18 February – 19 April 2026
- A Meeting of Cultures: Fashioning North Africa, Kent State University Museum, Kent, OH; 05 September 2025 – 10 May 2026
- Parallel Lines: Quilts and the American Landscape, Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI; 03 September 2025 – 10 May 2026
- Collecting Fashion: From T-Shirts to Haute Couture, Textile Museum St. Gallen, St Gallen, Switzerland; 24 October 2025 – 25 May 2026
- Crafting Character: The Costumes of Paul Tazewell, Griffin Museum of Science + Industry, Chicago, IL; Opens 19 January 2026
- Embroidering Palestine, Mode Museum, Antwerp, Belgium; 13 December – 07 June 2026
- Fabric of America: Our Fashion, Textiles, and Technologies, Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Dearborn, MI; 07 June – 13 September 2026
- Conversation Pieces: Stories from the Archives, Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO; 15 February – 11 October 2026
- Fashioning Chinese Women: Empire to Modernity, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA; 14 January – 25 October 2026.
- Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK; 28 March – 01 November 2026
- Costume Art, The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; 10 May 2026 – 10 January 2027
- Doll Dressing, The Museum at FIT, New York, NY; 10 September 2026 – 04 January 2027
- DIVA, Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO; 04 October 2026 – 10 January 2027
- Antwerp Six, Mode Museum, Antwerp, Belgium; 28 March 2026 – 17 January 2027
- Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show, Vitra Design Museum and V&A Dundee, Dundee, Scotland; 03 April 2026 – 17 January 2027
- The Collection: Greatest Fits (Vol 1) The Art of Archiving Fashion, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ; 09 October 2024 – ongoing
Feature image: Installation view of Westwood | Kawakubo on display from 7 December 2025 to 19 April 2026, at NGV International, Melbourne. Photo: Sean Fennessy
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