LACMA's upcoming David Geffen Galleries, opening in 2026, will feature over 130 costumes and textiles in its inaugural installations—more than any other time since the museum opened in 1965. The museum also plans exhibitions such as 'Fashioning Chinese Women: Empire to Modernity' (with mannequins by Jason Wu) and 'Fashioning Fashion' (1900–2025). Other major fashion exhibitions include 'Virgil Abloh: The Codes' at Paris's Grand Palais, 'Westwood Kawakubo' at the National Gallery of Victoria, and 'Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art' at London's V&A. The article notes that fashion exhibitions are increasingly popular and profitable for museums, citing the Met's Costume Institute and its record-breaking Met Gala fundraising.
This trend matters because it reflects a deepening institutional embrace of fashion as a legitimate art form, driven by both public appeal and significant corporate sponsorship from luxury brands. Museums see fashion exhibitions as a way to attract larger audiences and secure funding, while fashion houses use museum shows to cement their cultural legacy. The shift signals a blurring of boundaries between art and commerce, and raises questions about how museums balance scholarly rigor with blockbuster appeal.