Must-See London Exhibitions on Fashion in 2023

ere in London we're very lucky to constantly be surrounded by great inspiration across all forms of culture. London is a melting pot of the very latest trends in art, music, dance, fashion, style, food, bars, hospitality, tech and much more. Alongside this, the city has world-class museums that are on a constant journey to display the best of all forms of culture past and present, local and global.

In 2023 there will be three such institutions showcasing the fashions and styles of recent and distant history that continue to inform the fashion story of London and the wider world today. These exhibitions will no doubt be a continued inspiration for Studio 104's design team for future bespoke uniform ideas.

‍

Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians. Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace.

Unlike the wide, hooped gowns seen in Queen Charlotte’s 18th century court, a fashion revolution was under way in the country’s pleasure gardens and coffee houses. Women and men were rejecting the formal grand costumes of the Georgian aristocracy in favour of new textiles and more comfortable clothes.

“It was a pivotal moment,” said exhibition curator Anna Reynolds, “During this period, we start to see court dress lagging behind street style, with people from across a much broader social spectrum than ever before setting fashion trends.”

The new ‘Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians’ exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace includes more than 200 works from the Royal Collection. It includes paintings, drawings and rare surviving examples of clothes and accessories, providing a picture of what the Georgians at court wore along with changing trends on the streets.

Aprons, worn as protective items by working women, became a style item. “They became elegant, perhaps made from lace. Even Queen Charlotte wore an apron. You start to see trends moving up, rather than trickling down,” said Reynolds. By the end of the 18th century, women’s clothing was much less structured. A new fabric, cotton, began to be widely used.

The exhibition also explores advances in haircare, cosmetics, eyewear and dentistry, the birth of a specialised fashion press, and the development of shopping as a leisure activity.

‘Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians’ is on display from 21 April until 8 October 2023.

‍

‍

REBEL: 30 Years of London Fashion. Design Museum.

Over the last 30 years, the British Fashion Council's young talent initiative NEWGEN has been supporting designers with showing their collections at London Fashion Week. Having helped the careers of Christopher Kane, JW Anderson, Molly Goddard, Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY, Wales Bonner, Nicholas Daley and even the late Alexander McQueen, it's hard to spot a brand on the London schedule that hasn't benefited from NEWGEN's support scheme.

In celebration of the success of NEWGEN and all it has offered London fashion, a year long festival of activities, NEWGEN 30, will culminate with the landmark exhibition ‘REBEL: 30 Years of London Fashion’ exhibition at the Design Museum in London, sponsored by Alexander McQueen.

The exhibition itself will raise funds for the BFC Foundation - who offered 1.3 million in grants to scholars and businesses alone last year - so they can continue their support of future growth and success in the British fashion industry. 

The focus of REBEL: 30 Years of London Fashion is to celebrate the talent that's helped London Fashion Week stand as a pillar of the industry for so long and is predicted to be one of the most comprehensive contemporary fashion exhibitions ever staged in the UK, acknowledging the work of 300 designers and featuring over 100 objects - from innovative and trailblazing garments to films, drawings and memorabilia. 

‘REBEL: 30 Years of London Fashion’ is on display from 15 September 2023 to 11 February 2024.

‍

‍

Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto. V&A Museum London.

This autumn, the V&A Museum will stage a major new exhibition dedicated to the life and work of pioneering designer Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel.

A UK first, the exhibition will chart the evolution of her designs and the establishment of the house of Chanel - from the opening of her first millinery boutique in Paris in 1910 to the showing of her final collection in 1971.

The exhibition will feature more than 180 looks by Coco Chanel - the first time they will have all been displayed together - alongside jewellery, accessories, cosmetics and fragrance. The installation will also feature rarely seen pieces from the V&A's own collection, alongside archive pieces from French couturière’s heritage collections - including clothing worn by Hollywood stars like Lauren Bacall and Marlene Dietrich.

"As one of the most successful fashion houses in existence, Chanel owes much to the templates first laid down by its founder Gabrielle Chanel, over a century ago," said Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A.

Gabrielle Chanel paved the way for a revolutionary new kind of femininity through her work, the legacy of which continues to inspire and influence the way we dress today. By creating clothes that she herself wanted to wear, she was able to anticipate the wants and needs of the modern, more independent, 20th century woman - seen through her now iconic use of tweed jackets and tailored trousers.

'Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto’ is on display from 16 September 2023 to 25 February 2024.

‍

To discover move Studio 104's bespoke projects head to our portfolio page. For Studio 104's detailed process, from uniform concept to manufacture and delivery, head to our process page.

‍Written by Stephen - Brand & Marketing Manager‍

Follow us - www.instagram.com/studio104london/