26 June 2023

MK&G Hamburg's 'I.M Possible' exhibition explores the promotion of diversity through fashion by designers like Vivienne Westwood, Martin Margiela or Iris van Herpen

Diversity is on everyone's lips these days. But when did diversity become a fashion theme and how has it been visualized by fashion designers? If you are interested in learning more about today's changing society, where the expression of individuality rather than group conformity has become the norm, the upcoming exhibition 'I.M POSSIBLE - Fashion Unleashed' is a promising destination for insights into the work of fashion designers who have broken old codes and deconstructed fashion to explore diverse possibilities of self-expression through clothing. 'I.M POSSIBLE' will be on view from 7 July 2023 to 6 July 2025 at the MK&G - Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe (museum of arts and crafts) in Hamburg, Germany. It's announced that around 20 exhibits from renowned designers will be shown, as well as new emerging fashion designers every three months with their contemporary interpretations in the spirit of deconstructivism.

In the press release, the term 'deconstructivism' in fashion is related to a rebellious design attitude that originated from punk. Among the around 20 exhibits are fashion pieces by Vivienne Westwood, the most famous pioneer of the movement. Vivienne Westwood became known in the 70s for designs with sewn-on zippers, safety pins, torn second-hand goods and for the use of fabrics despised as bourgeois – especially tartans. The exhibition traces the evolution of the movement over the course of several decades. In the mid-1980s, the group from Antwerp, with designers like Martin Margiela, drew inspiration from the pioneers. The third pillar of the exhibition is dedicated to a new generation of designers, such as Iris van Herpen, who combines new weaving techniques, 3D sculpting, and natural themes such as biomorphism in haute couture creations to express diversity and conscious living.

Images: Jacket, Maison Martin Margiela, AW Collection 2008/09, MK&G, Property of the Stiftung Hamburger Kunstsammlungen. Photo: Alisa Reutova.