Vitra Design Museum traces the changing spectacle of the fashion show

Key visual for Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show

A fashion show may last only minutes, but its images travel globally and its staging can define an era. Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show examines this cultural form at the Vitra Design Museum, tracing its development from intimate couture presentations around 1900 to contemporary digital performances.

From salon presentation to public spectacle

Across four rooms, the exhibition brings together original garments, film and photographic material, invitations and stage objects. Early sections revisit the couturiers’ salons, where designers such as Charles Frederick Worth, Lucile and Paul Poiret introduced storytelling and theatrical movement to fashion presentation. The display also considers the postwar Théâtre de la Mode, which toured miniature collections on carefully constructed wire mannequins.

Paul Poiret’s mannequin parade in Paris, 1910 · Photo: Henri Manuel

Invitation to a fashion show by Emmanuelle Khanh, 1983

Jeanne Lanvin dresses a doll for Théâtre de la Mode, 1945

As fashion moved into cafés, theatres and public venues, the runway became a site for new audiences and social change. The exhibition follows the emergence of prêt-à-porter, the Battle of Versailles in 1973 and the rise of supermodels, while asking how shows reflect changing ideals of the body and structures of power.

Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington at Versace, A/W 1991/92 · Photo: Paul Massey

Invitation to Schiaparelli Haute Couture, S/S 2025 · Photo: Andreas Sütterlin

Jacquemus Ready-to-Wear, S/S 2020, Le Coup de Soleil · Photo: Aurore Marechal

Runway as a designed environment

Later chapters look at increasingly elaborate productions, from Chanel’s constructed settings to Alexander McQueen’s live robotic performance and Viktor & Rolf’s layered “Russian Doll” presentation. Recent examples include digital and hybrid formats shaped by the pandemic, as well as collaborations with artists and choreographers.

Chanel Ready-to-Wear, A/W 2017/18 · Photo: Helmut Fricke

Balenciaga Ready-to-Wear S/S 2020, Parliament Show · Photo: Stefan Aït Ouarab

Chanel Ready-to-Wear, S/S 2015, Grand Palais, Paris · Photo: Helmut Fricke

Designed as a Gesamtkunstwerk, the fashion show brings architecture, scenography, choreography, lighting and sound into a single narrative space. The exhibition presents the runway as both a designed environment and a mirror of its time.

Project Credits

Exhibition: Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show
Curators: Jochen Eisenbrand, Katharina Krawczyk, Kirsty Hassard and Svetlana Panova
Exhibition design: Ania Martchenko
Graphic design: Haller Brun
Venue: Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany
Dates: 18 October 2025–15 February 2026