FROM CATWALKS TO MUSEUMS: WHEN FASHION HISTORY IS WRITTEN IN REAL TIME

Hoodies from Vetements and Balenciaga currently exhibited in Rotterdam at the Het Nieuwe Instituut; a pair of sneakers by Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton presented at the MAD as part of the "Marche et démarche: Une histoire de la chaussure" exhibition, in the midst of vintage shoe models; and designs by Vivienne Westwood, Prada, Burberry, and C.P. Company, Stone Island and Palace presented in the "Invisible Men", exhibition, organised this autumn at the University of Westminster... Having just appeared on podiums, Instagrammed, then featured on Vogue Runway, fashion show pieces are found in museums amid vintage costumes, immortalised in exhibitions with growing media coverage.

The list of silhouettes from the latest Fashion Weeks, that we sight a few months later on Stockman busts and in exhibition catalogues, is just getting longer... Could the increasing pace of fashion also impact museums? In the "Let's Dance! Fashion in Dance: from tutus to sneakers" exhibition at the Museum of Art in The Hague, we notice Dior by Maria Grazia Chiuri and by Schiaparelli from summer 2019. At the Bourdelle Museum in Paris, the highly successful 2019 "Back Side / Dos à la mode" - exhibition also featured some very recent pieces. Newly released dresses signed by Givenchy. Haute Couture from Clare Waight Keller and Yohji Yamamoto, as well as a Mbappé No.10 football shirt and the now infamous Zara jacket worn by Melania Trump in 2018, displaying the "I really don't care, do you?".

FASHION, MARKING AN ERA

An increasing number of retrospectives from the biggest names in luxury design, (including Martin Margiela, Alexander McQueen and Thierry Mugler) with extensive media coverage and a growing public following, exhibitions are now an integral part of the fashion industry. In 2017, more than 708,000 visitors—an average of 3,500 per day—flocked to the major Dior exhibition at the MAD, a record for a Parisian exhibition dedicated to one designer. While there was, until recently, a real reluctance to exhibit fashion (considered a commodity that should remain in shops), these events install it as a cultural heritage and a form of expression, reflecting the sensitivity of an era. The topics covered are becoming more and more defined and targeted: exhibition on fashion and comics (La Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l'image in Angoulême, 2019), the perception of our backs (Bourdelle Museum, 2019), camp style (MET Costume Institute, 2019) and men's fashion (University of Westminster, 2019). At the same time, pieces exhibited are more recent... How do museum directors and exhibition curators decide what to include in their collections? How do they predict success, and anticipate the impact on fashion history and society?

THE "SEE NOW, BUY NOW" EXHIBITION CURATORS

To enhance their collections, these experts regularly attend fashion shows to spot new pieces to acquire. This is the case of Alexandre Samson, head of contemporary collections at the Parisian fashion museum Palais Galliera and curator of the "Back Side / Dos à la mode" exhibition. In order to create a dialogue between styles and periods and expand their collections, museums have a specific budget, but often limited. "The acquisition budget of the Palais Galliera is 30,000 euros per year spread across eight different departments, a very small amount," underlines Alexandre Samson. "But, since 2014, we have been receiving outstanding support from the Vogue Paris Foundation, an endowment fund that bestows the museum an extra 200,000 euros to purchase pieces. In addition, each year, the foundation's design house partners (along with others who are not) donate a finished silhouette from their latest fashion show." Sixty pieces by Balenciaga, Balmain, Burberry, Celine, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Gucci and more join the Palais Galliera collections every year.

SPECIFIC CRITERIA OF SELECTION

With so little hindsight, how can we predict that recent pieces, will be immortalized in (fashion) history? Each curator has his or her own grid of analysis, in line with the museum guidelines. "My work is like that of a collector. Each new acquisition must be able to integrate into our collection, an extension of the pieces we already own," explains Alexandre Samson. "I also attach a great deal of importance to the form of designs. Silhouettes must be able to remain motionless. For instance, sportswear is difficult to exhibit." The Museum of Art in the Hague, also adheres to strict guidelines: "Each acquisition is reviewed by our management and we need to provide a compelling case. We never buy a piece for a one-off occasion. Each model must fit with the spirit of our collection. We prefer easy-to-wear rather than conceptual fashion, garments that enhance the body and its movement. Selecting these pieces is a real responsibility because they will be seen by a vast number of visitors..." Madelief Hohé underlines. For Andrew Groves, the design aspect is preeminent: "Aside from its aesthetic, our selection is technical and practical. For example, we recently acquired a Vollebak jacket, the first commercially available jacket to be coated with graphene, an ultra-resistant and particularly very conductive material, as well as an A-COLD-WALL* wool model with innovative features."

When you are purchasing in the showroom, directly after the show, you have to be quick and efficient. It's hard to resist impulses when you lack perspective... "You shouldn't waste your time speculating, otherwise you lose the opportunity to make an acquisition," says Alexandre Samson. To qualify their choices, curators are highly attuned to the press and Instagram. "Word of mouth is paramount. I try to converse with journalists as much as possible after the shows, regularly meet up with people who work in the studios and I keep track of what has attracted the most attention on Instagram," she continues. "We are living in very exciting times, where a multitude of online dialogues are taking place between journalists, designers, consumers, collectors and curators. Today, the value of a brand or designer is collectively discussed online. We must be aware of this," adds Andrew Groves. Following without being overly influenced... "A fashion collection is very subjective. You need to be honest. Objectivity is impossible to maintain... even when you try to have an unbiased view of collections," specifies Alexandre Samson. The most important is to acquire pieces that are truly representative of the period or the designer's approach (what Alexandre Samson refers to as an artistic director's "creative manifesto"). From Triple S by Balenciaga, to a Vetements hoodie, a Rick Owens piece, capturing the anguish of today's society...

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EMERGING DESIGNERS

Off-White, Alyx, GmbH, Koché—Should emerging brands be included in museum collections? The curator's sole mission is to identify any possible speculative bubbles, separating creativity from a simple marketing ploy. "Obviously one makes mistakes, but that's part of the job..." underlines Alexandre Samson. "I've learned that you have to be cautious of images. Vogue Runway is deceptive. You get the impression that you understand everything about a collection when you look at the images, but that's not the case. It lacks movement, the back or the profile! Above all, I love to study the inside of a garment and its composition to understand where the designer is heading with it," adds the curator, who has already acquired Jacquemus, Y/Project as well as Nina Ricci by Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh. "Designers and brands are increasingly aware of the power of exhibitions, enabling them to present their work as cultural artefacts, on which marketing strategies are established. This can become problematic when their own story contends with the way they want to be presented. But our task is to interpret the designer's intention and contextualise their work, explaining its significance for present and future generations, as well as answering any marketing queries," concludes Andrew Grooves.