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8 fashion exhibitions to discover all over France in 2025
From the first major fashion exhibition at the Louvre to the little-known history of wax at the Musée de l’Homme, including a retrospective dedicated to Dolce & Gabbana and a journey through the friendship between Mugler and Alaïa… Numéro unveils its selection of fashion exhibitions to discover throughout France in 2025.
by Louise Menard,
Publié le 9 april 2025. Modifié le 10 April 2025.
“Azzedine Alaïa. 1980/1990, Two Decades of Artistic Affinity” at the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, Paris 4th. © Photo Julien Vidal
Alaïa and Mugler: A foundational friendship in fashion history
This exhibition was born from the enduring friendship between two titans of fashion: Azzedine Alaïa and Thierry Mugler. Behind their successes lies a long story of mutual support and admiration, which shaped and deeply influenced their creations for over three decades. After meeting in 1979, Alaïa designed a series of tuxedos presented at Mugler’s show that same year.
Encouraged by this collaboration, Alaïa went on to launch his own fashion house, with Mugler introducing him to top fashion journalists and even organizing his very first New York show—designing both the set and the guest list. Together, they reigned over 1980s and 90s fashion, infusing the era with glamour and vitality while continuing to enrich their respective creative worlds. This prolific and captivating relationship is now being explored within the walls of the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation this spring.
“Azzedine Alaïa. 1980/1990, Two Decades of Artistic Affinity”
March 3 to June 29, 2025, Fondation Azzedine Alaïa, 18 Rue de la Verrerie, Paris 4th
A dialogue between gold and textiles at Quai Branly
What role has gold played in textile arts? This is the question explored by the Quai Branly Museum through an exhibition spanning more than a millennium and five major geographic regions: India, the Middle East, China, Japan, and the Maghreb.
From a medieval silk chasuble to a contemporary haute couture piece by Chinese designer Guo Pei, and including an Egyptian wedding dress from 1880, the garments on display highlight the nobility of this metal, long revered across civilizations.
“Au fil de l’or. L’art de se vêtir de l’Orient au Soleil-Levant” Until July 6, 2025 at the Quai Branly Museum, Paris
Bemberg Foundation tells the story of Renaissance jewelry
Forty years after the Victoria & Albert Museum’s Princely Magnificence, the exhibition D’or et d’éclat turns the spotlight on the role and symbolism of jewelry in the Renaissance.
Divided into six sections—from craftsmanship and adornment to power, intimacy, identity, and art—the show brings together master paintings and precious objects to delve into the multifaceted universe of Renaissance jewels.
“D’or et d’éclat. Le bijou à la Renaissance” Until July 27, 2025 at the Bemberg Foundation, Toulouse
Dolce & Gabbana’s 40 Years of creations at the Grand Palais
In January 2025, Dolce & Gabbana held one of its rare shows outside Italy—this time in Paris. That landmark moment continues with an exhibition at the Grand Palais, showcasing over 200 creations. An impressive body of work, assembled thanks to curator Florence Müller’s research in the archives of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.
The show traces the Maison’s journey from its founding in 1985 to its global acclaim, through inspirations as varied as Bellini’s operas, Visconti’s films, Giacomo Serpotta’s baroque sculptures, and Sicilian mosaics. A feast of scent, scenery, and splendor, this is a love letter to Italian art and craftsmanship that wonderfully celebrates the 40 years of the brand.
“From the Heart to the Hand” Until March 31, 2025 at the Grand Palais, Paris 8th
The untold history of wax at the Musée de l’Homme
Though wax fabric is now an emblem of African identity, its origins are global—stretching from Indonesia to the Netherlands and Togo. This exhibition traces the evolution of wax fabric, from Dutch attempts to mimic Indonesian prints to its rise in Ghana and worldwide influence.
Photographs by Kenyan artist Thandiwe Muriu meet fashion pieces by Maison Château Rouge and WOWO Paris, while the show also explores hidden meanings in wax prints and questions of cultural appropriation. The exhibition raises fundamental points for reflection, ones that are essential to understanding the often underestimated and plundered richness of wax fabric.
“Wax: Between Heritage and Reappropriation” Until September 7, 2025 at the musée de l’Homme, Paris 16th
Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. Licensed by
ADAGP, Paris 2025.
From art to fashion and back again at Louvre-Lens
Are artists style icons? Can clothing be considered works of art? At the Louvre-Lens, the major exhibition Dressing Like an Artist. The Artist and Clothing explores how fashion and art have influenced each other over the centuries through the figure of the artist and their creations.
Self-portraits by Rembrandt and Warhol, creations by Elsa Schiaparelli and Yves Saint Laurent, as well as outfits by Yayoi Kusama and Niki de Saint Phalle, are among the 200 works on display.
“Dressing Like an Artist. The Artist and Clothing” Until July 21, 2025 at the musée Louvre-Lens, Lens
A Rare dialogue between fashion and decorative arts at the Louvre
In the galleries of the Louvre‘s Department of Decorative Arts—spaces rarely visited by the general public—an unexpected fashion exhibition unfolds, dedicated to clothing and haute couture. Set amidst grand salons, the garments are displayed alongside medieval armor, towering tapestries… and even positioned near an 18th-century cabinet by André-Charles Boulle.
The silhouettes and accessories, created by designers from 1960 to 2025—names like Karl Lagerfeld and Demna—appear as though they have always belonged in these rooms. The exhibition initiates a dialogue—at times obvious, at others merely suggested—between fashion pieces and decorative art objects. It marks the first-ever fashion exhibition held by the Louvre.
“Louvre Couture. Decorative Arts and Fashion”, Until July 21, 2025, at the Musée du Louvre, Paris.
Christian Lacroix’s stage costumes at the CNCS
While Christian Lacroix is widely known as a leading couturier of the 1990s, few are aware of his rich career as a costume designer—an unexpected path he took following the closure of his fashion house in 2009. Featuring opera, musical, and theater costumes, as well as original sketches, the exhibition Christian Lacroix and the Stage at the CNCS reveals a lesser-known facet of the designer’s oeuvre.
Heavily inspired by 18th- and 19th-century fashion, the costumes—crafted from lace, ruffles, corsets, and sumptuous silks—also echo a broad swath of the looks he imagined earlier in his fashion career. A chance to dive back into the vibrant archives of a couturier who left an indelible mark on French fashion history.
