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The V&A has been behind countless blockbuster fashion exhibitions over the years, from the 2015 Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty retrospective (which started life at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York), to 2024’s first-of-its-kind Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto extravaganza. It makes sense, then, that the London museum is continuing to level up its fashion offering, by transforming its permanent Fashion Gallery at its main South Kensington site.
“Fashion has always been integral to the story of the V&A, and since the 1970s, the museum has had a rolling programme of temporary fashion exhibitions which have led the way in contemporary exhibition design and continue to be extremely popular with our visitors,” Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A, tells Vogue. “The Fashion Gallery is a much beloved space within the museum but has not been structurally updated since the 1960s. This gives us a spectacular opportunity to showcase the full range of our global collections, as well as more contemporary designers.”
From the start of May, the Fashion Gallery will undergo a period of extensive redevelopment, supported by Burberry. When it reopens in the spring of 2027, it will be renamed The Burberry Gallery, in recognition of the V&A’s partnership with the British fashion house. “As the UK’s leading fashion brand, Burberry is the perfect partner for the V&A to celebrate the richness, heritage and diversity of our fashion collections,” Hunt says.
The V&A Fashion Gallery (pictured above) is set to go under a major redevelopment.
Peter Kelleher
“Burberry’s partnership with the V&A marks an incredible moment for British arts and culture,” Joshua Schulman, the brand’s CEO, adds in a statement. “It unites two centuries-old cultural icons with a shared legacy of heritage and innovation, and a commitment to championing creativity in all its forms. We are so thrilled to come together with the V&A team to celebrate the rich history of our industry and to develop an immersive space that will inspire creative minds for generations to come.”
While the Fashion Gallery may be closed until 2027, have no fear: museum-goers will still be able to get their fashion fix via the V&A’s Cartier exhibition opening in April and the Marie Antoinette Style showcase launching in September. Meanwhile, access to the V&A’s fashion collection will be available at the V&A East Storehouse, opening on 31 May, and online.
