Museum Visits
As part of our research, we visited a range of museums that helped shape our understanding of fashion, history, and cultural identity. We have reviewed these exhibitions to share our insights, highlights, and reflections. Whether you're a curious soul or a fellow researcher, we hope our experiences inspire you to explore these museums for yourself.
Exploring Gender Through Design: MoMu’s “Fashion & Interiors: A Gendered Affair”
At the intersection of fashion, interior design, and gender lies a deeply woven narrative—one that the MoMu Fashion Museum in Antwerp brings to life in its exhibition Fashion & Interiors: A Gendered Affair. This thought-provoking show invites visitors to reflect on the ways in which clothing and living spaces have historically mirrored and shaped gender roles. Through a rich tapestry of materials, ideas, and disciplines, the exhibition opens up a nuanced conversation about identity, aesthetics, and cultural expression.
Divided into thematic chapters, the exhibition resists a linear or monolithic narrative. Instead, it offers a pluralistic, layered experience that spans centuries and crosses disciplinary boundaries. Visitors encounter an eclectic mix of media—mannequins dressed in historically and stylistically diverse garments, contemporary artworks, textiles, wallpapers, photographs, fashion magazines, architectural models, and even ephemeral objects like invitations. This diverse array of materials underscores the central idea: that gendered expressions in both fashion and interiors are not static but continually negotiated through culture, design, and everyday life.
The exhibition opens by delving into 19th-century domestic ideology, a time when women were culturally positioned as the guardians of beauty within the private sphere. This era emphasized the harmonization of a woman’s appearance with her home, giving rise to the idea that personal adornment and interior decoration were intimately linked. One of the key figures examined is architect Henry van de Velde, who embodied this philosophy by designing clothing—initially for his wife—as part of his broader vision of the Gesamtkunstwerk, or total work of art, in which all forms of design are integrated.
This theme of synthesis continues into the modernist era, where architects and designers like Adolf Loos, Lilly Reich, and Le Corbusier pushed back against decorative excess. Their minimalist approaches to both fashion and interiors were rooted in function and form, echoing broader social and ideological shifts. These historical threads culminate in the exhibition’s final chapters, which present contemporary works by designers such as Maison Martin Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester, Raf Simons, and Hussein Chalayan. These creators challenge conventional binaries and blur the lines between clothing and architecture, suggesting new ways of thinking about gender, space, and self-expression.
What makes A Gendered Affair particularly compelling is its scenography. The exhibition doesn’t merely place garments and objects on display—it situates them within evocative interior “sets” that provide historical and emotional context. These immersive environments allow visitors to experience the interplay between fashion and interiors not as abstract concepts but as lived, sensory realities. This strategy enhances the exhibition’s accessibility and impact, enabling each visitor to form their own interpretations and emotional connections.
Ultimately, the strength of Fashion & Interiors: A Gendered Affair lies in its ability to combine scholarship with storytelling, theory with visual impact. It demonstrates that fashion and interiors are more than aesthetic pursuits—they are cultural texts that communicate evolving understandings of gender, identity, and power. Through its innovative presentation and interdisciplinary approach, the exhibition becomes a Gesamtkunstwerk in its own right, offering a holistic and deeply resonant experience for audiences today.
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By Naomi Hubert & Milan Sennesael
Palais Galliera: Fashion on the Move #3
When exhibiting garments, one must always consider how to display these three-dimensional pieces. Unlike other objects on display, fashion is made to be seen and experienced in motion and from different angles. While movement is difficult to capture with these fragile textiles, different angles and interactions can be achieved through the use of mannequins.
The current exhibition Fashion on the Move #3 at the Palais Galliera in Paris focuses on the evolution of fashion and sport, displaying various garments ranging from riding clothes to swimwear and ski-jackets. The garments are displayed on a variety of mannequins, highlighting different features of a garment. “I found it quite interesting how the garments are displayed differently, depending on what the curator wants to highlight," says our peer Wiebke Elsabe Werther. “It's not just about how the individual garments are displayed, but how they interact with each other. At the beginning of the exhibition, some of the 18th century garments almost seem to dance with each other," she observed.
Most of the garments in this exhibition are displayed on classic white mannequins. A few individual garments are shown with invisible mannequins to emphasize their own structure, or are laid flat because of their knit fabric. This exhibition demonstrates that the way garments are presented, both as individual pieces and as objects in a dialogue, is an important curatorial detail.
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By Wiebke Werther
Hasselt Fashion Museum: M&OTHERS
I visited M&OTHERS at Hasselt Fashion Museum — an exhibition that redefines how we view motherhood in fashion, highlighting the ways motherhood has informed and shaped fashion over the years. With a focus on Western dress throughout the centuries, the show examines society's evolving perception of pregnancy and motherhood. It explores how motherhood influences certain designs, with pregnant bodies inspiring an imaginary that celebrates a flexible and playful silhouette, standing in contrast to the thin-bodied ideals traditionally upheld by the fashion industry.
The exhibition covers the journey from the concealed maternity bodies of the 19th century to the bold celebration of motherhood in the 20th and 21st century (think Demi Moore and Rihanna proudly showing their pregnant bellies). Some of the multi-purpose designs on display emphasize the necessity of adapting to changing forms and situations — something not often seen in mainstream fashion. It also features powerful testimonies from mothers who are also designers, like Jeanne Lanvin and Sonia Rykiel, showing how closely motherhood is intertwined with their work as female designers.
While the exhibition is firmly rooted in the context of the cult of Maria, it touches upon practices of motherhood in the global South only briefly. This could have been explored with more vigor, especially when showcasing the practice of mothers and children wearing matching attire. This custom is prominent in West African dress, where families often coordinate outfits, especially during festivities, and it would have been an important feature to highlight more explicitly in the show.
Another issue, common in fashion exhibitions but particularly noticeable here, is the uniformity of body types represented by the mannequins. Given the exhibition’s theme, it would have been an excellent opportunity to move away from unattainable body standards and start representing a more diverse range of body types.
In conclusion, M&OTHERS at Hasselt Fashion Museum is a thought-provoking exhibition that challenges the conventional narratives around motherhood and fashion. By highlighting the evolving relationship between the two, it offers a fresh perspective on how pregnancy and motherhood have influenced design and style. While there are areas that could be further explored, particularly in representing diverse global practices and body types, the exhibition successfully encourages a broader, more inclusive dialogue about fashion and motherhood.
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By Anna Bisperink & Nina Derycke
Victoria and Albert Museum: NAOMI – In Fashion
Visiting exhibitions is a valuable way to explore how fashion is discussed, not only in Belgium, but also internationally. Over the coming weeks, we have been encouraged to visit a fashion exhibition of our choice and analyze its curatorial choices.
Rowena had the opportunity to visit NAOMI – In Fashion at the Victoria and Albert Museum (South Kensington). She immediately noticed how person-focused the exhibition was, “this is quite different from many other fashion-related exhibitions, which, in my experience, tend to be more object-centered, emphasizing the garments themselves rather than the wearer or its cultural context,” she noted.
A striking curatorial choice was the use of imagery and mannequins. "Each garment's label was accompanied by a photograph of Naomi Campbell wearing the piece, reinforcing the connection to her legacy. The mannequins were not just standard black and white, but appeared to match her skin tone, with some even posed to mirror the images on display," Rowena explained.
We hope that our other peers' museum visits will be just as enlightening!
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By Rowena Dossche
Fashion & Lace Museum Brussels: 40+ years of STIJL
STIJL isn’t a trend. It’s a way of life.
Emerging during a time of societal shift, when the growing middle class first gained access to design, STIJL designers spoke to a new kind of client: professionals with a sense of style and a need for clothing that carries them through the entire day. These pieces aren't just worn — they work with you. From meetings to evenings out, this is luxury that adapts to context.
These designers flirt with the inappropriate. They draw inspiration from unexpected places, pushing the boundaries of convention while staying rooted in aesthetic refinement and purpose. For them, sustainability was never a trend — it’s an extension of their creative and ethical vision.
They reject flashy branding. No big logos, no loud graphics. Their pieces speak through cut, fabric, and detail. They whisper rather than shout. Subcultural references and hidden codes are woven into every design — only visible to the trained eye. A Helmut Lang shopper, for instance, is only distinguishable from its cheaper counterpart by the practiced eye.
STIJL is design with soul.
It’s subtle, rebellious, and quietly intellectual. These are garments built to last — both in craftsmanship and in timeless appeal. A long-term investment in a world of fast fashion noise. This is how you stand out — not by being loud, but by knowing exactly who you are.
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By Febe Hindryckx & Lise Masure
Video by Febe Hindryckx.
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