Five fashion exhibitions to catch worldwide in 2024

A new year means new exhibitions coming to museums around the world, and 2024 promises plenty of shows for fashion fans. On the agenda are exhibitions dedicated to the world of Barbie, the supermodel Naomi Campbell and the Japanese fashion designer, Yuima Nakazato. From Paris to London to New York, here are five fashion exhibits to catch in 2024.

‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

This is perhaps the most eagerly awaited fashion event every year, and in 2024, it will be dedicated to ‘Sleeping Beauties’. The spring exhibition at The Met’s Costume Institute in New York will “reawaken” masterpieces from its immense collection, including a host of historic pieces, via an immersive, sensory staging. For want of being able to actually wear them, these Sleeping Beauties — sometimes very fragile, if not damaged — will be presented in a variety of forms via immersive and creative activations made possible, in particular, by artificial intelligence. These are designed “to convey the smells, sounds, textures, and motions of garments that can no longer directly interact with the body,” the famous New York museum explains.

‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’ – May 10 to September 2, 2024 – The Met, New York, USA.

Yuima Nakazato: Beyond Couture at La Cité de la Dentelle et de la Mode, Calais, France

Head for northern France to discover the work of the avant-garde Japanese designer, Yuima Nakazato, from June 15, 2024 to January 5, 2025, at La Cité de la Dentelle et de la Mode museum in Calais. In a show designed in partnership with the designer, the exhibition will focus on some 50 fashion pieces from his couture collections created between 2016 and 2024, supported by photographs, accessories, sketches, material samples and videos. This exhibition will focus as much on the Japanese designer’s creations as on his favorite themes, such as nature, and Eastern and Western craftsmanship, as well as his innovative manufacturing processes, from 3D printing to the development of textile fibers from fermented bacteria.

‘Yuima Nakazato: Beyond Couture’ – June 15, 2024 to Janvier 5, 2025 – La Cité de la Dentelle et de la Mode, Calais, France.

‘NAOMI’ at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK

After exhibits celebrating Gabrielle Chanel, then the divas who marked the history of music and cinema, the South Kensington museum’s latest fashion-themed show pays tribute to one of the most renowned supermodels of recent decades, Naomi Campbell. From June 22, 2024, visitors to London’s V&A will be able to admire around a hundred looks, as well as objects and accessories, created by Alexander McQueen, Azzedine Alaïa, Chanel, Gianni and Donatella Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano, Kenneth Ize and Yves Saint Laurent, selected to retrace the supermodel’s 40-year career. The exhibition will also look at her creative collaborations, her influence on culture and her activism.

‘NAOMI’ – June 22, 2024, to April 6, 2025 – V&A Museum, London, UK.

‘Barbie: The Exhibition’ at The Design Museum, London, UK

On March 9, 1959, Ruth Handler presented the very first Barbie — a doll that, 65 years later, has become a global icon. Anyone who thought that the pink wave driven by the recent movie dedicated to the doll might be subsiding can rest assured that London’s Design Museum will be devoting an exhibition to Barbie from July 5, 2024. From Barbie’s famous Dream House to her cars, motorhomes and airplanes, not to mention her countless outfits, the history of the world’s most famous of dolls will be retraced through the lens of design, touching on fashion, architecture and furnishings. Indeed, the exhibition is likely to appeal not just to fans of the pop culture icon, since rare objects from archives, loans and acquisitions will be on display.

‘Barbie: The Exhibition’ – July 5, 2024, to February 23, 2025 at The Design Museum, London, UK.

‘La Mode en mouvement’ [‘Fashion on the Move’] at Palais Galliera, Paris, France

Until September 7, 2025, Paris’ Palais Galliera will be tracing the history of fashion from the 18th century to the present day, bringing together garments created for everyday wear with outfits designed for physical activity and sport. The exhibition is a reminder that all eyes will be on Paris this summer for the Olympic Games. A total of 200 creations will be on display, allowing visitors to (re)discover, explore and question the masculinization of women’s clothing and the advent of sportswear in everyday wardrobes. The exhibition is scheduled to take place in three phases: the first display will end on March 15, the second will run from April 20, 2024, to January 5, 2025, and the third from February 8 to September 7, 2025.

‘La mode en mouvement’ [‘Fashion on the Move’] runs until September 7, 2025, at Palais Galliera, Paris, France.