This Exhibition Puts Fashion Rebels Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo in Conversation
For the first time, the radical rule breakers are explored in parallel.
Different continents, different cultural contexts, born one year apart, this is Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo. For the first time, the NGV museum in Melbourne is bringing together the two fashion iconoclasts in one exhibition.
The British designer and the Japanese designer (of Comme Des Garçons) were radical rule breakers, subverting the status quo of fashion, and today their acclaimed collections are celebrated worldwide for questioning gender and beauty norms, taste and the very function of clothing.
Titled “Westwood | Kawakubo,” the exhibition features a display of over 150 designs that explore the convergences and divergences between the two “rebels of the fashion world.” The showcase is presented thematically, charting their major collections from the 1970s to the present day. Visitors are invited to question how Westwood and Kawakubo have rewritten fashion over the course of their careers. Beyond fashion, the exhibition also features archival materials, photography and runway footage offering audiences a deeper insight into the minds behind the clothes.
Exhibition highlights include Westwood’s punk ensembles from the late 1970s, popularized by London bands including The Sex Pistols, a romantic tartan gown from Westwood’s Fall/Winter 1993-94 collection famously worn by Kate Moss on the runway; and the original version of the corseted Wedding dress from Fall/Winter 2007-08, worn by Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and The City: The Movie, in the now infamous scenes. From Kawakubo, you can find the sculptural petal ensemble worn by Rihanna at the Met Gala in 2017, as well as designs worn by Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. The showcase presents the two voices as parallel yet fundamentally unique.
“Westwood | Kawakubo” is now on display until April 19, 2026, at NGV International, Melbourne.
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