Lou Stoppard has curated a new group exhibition focused on some of fashion’s most renowned creative partnerships; Fashion Together will be staged at the Fashion Space Gallery located at the London College of Fashion from 8 September to 13 January.
The exhibition takes a look behind the scenes of the most “intriguing alliances” and explores what makes them so captivating. Featured exhibitors include: Rick Owens and Michèle Lamy; Nick Knight and Daphne Guinness; Shaun Leane and Alexander McQueen (pictured); Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren; Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin; Gareth Pugh and Ruth Hogben; and Thom Browne and Stephen Jones.
Stoppard, a freelance writer and curator and SHOWstudio’s editor-at-large, explained her interest in the subject. “I’m interested in lasting partnerships – the formative friendships, the unions that exist behind the scenes or the decades-long working relationships that have shaped each participant’s vision and life. These relationships are common across the industry, but their complexity has been under-analysed. How is credit shared? How is work divided? Is jealousy or ownership an issue? Is there a recipe for success?” she said.
Fashion Together will include never-before-seen ephemera such as sketches, handwritten notes and fashion editorials which will be displayed alongside garments, films and photographic prints, including Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin’s portrait of Clint Eastwood for the New York Times Magazine (2005), to Shaun Leane for Alexander McQueen’s “Star” headpiece from the Salem Collection (Autumn/Winter 2007).
Audio recordings of the duos in conversation with the curator will also give rare and intimate insights into the character and history of each pair’s working process while an events programme of talks, workshops and masterclasses to accompany the exhibition will be announced in late September 2017.
The exhibition coincides with the release of Stoppard’s book, Fashion Together: Fashion’s Most Extraordinary Duos on the Art of Collaboration – on sale from 17 October 2017 – which features 18 conversations with fashion’s most celebrated duos, including all those featured in the exhibition.
The Fashion Space Gallery is located at London College of Fashion, UAL, 20 John Prince’s Street, London, W1G 0BJ. Entrance to the exhibition is free.
