Today the V&A South Kensington announced plans for a major transformation of the museum’s Fashion Gallery. Supported by Burberry and reopening in Spring 2027, the redesigned gallery will be a spectacular space, showcasing the V&A’s extensive, world class fashion collection, aiming to inspire visitors and enabling them to experience fashion in innovative and exciting ways. The opening of the gallery will be complemented by a wide-ranging activity programme onsite, offsite and online.
The current gallery will close on Sunday the 4th May to begin a period of redevelopment. Access to the V&A’s fashion collection continues to be available at V&A East Storehouse, opening on 31st May 2025, and online at vam.ac.uk. Upcoming exhibitions at V&A South Kensington featuring fashion include Cartier (April) and Marie Antoinette Style (September).
The V&A Fashion Gallery is one of the museum’s largest dedicated permanent galleries and is one of the museum’s most visited spaces. The displays have changed over the years however the gallery has not been structurally redeveloped since 1962. The V&A’s fashion collection is designated as the UK’s National Collection and is one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of dress in the world. Many of the pieces in the V&A’s fashion collection are unique to the V&A. Items in the collection include rare historical treasures such as 17th century menswear garments and 18th century ‘mantua’ dresses to cutting-edge contemporary couture from across the world. The collection also includes a wide range of outstanding and unusual accessories. The collections have been a source of inspiration for numerous fashion designers from Vivienne Westwood to Alexander McQueen to Molly Goddard and Rahemur Rahman, as well as students and researchers.
Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A said:
“Founded in the same decade, for over 150 years the V&A and Burberry have been pillars of British fashion. Global in our reach, whilst champions of UK art and design, we share a commitment to ensuring our proud heritage inspires the next generation of creatives. This partnership allows us to share the V&A’s incredible collections in new and accessible ways and, with Burberry, support education and craftsmanship across the country. The V&A is hugely honoured to display the Burberry name above one of the very greatest fashion galleries in the world.”
Joshua Schulman, Burberry Chief Executive Officer said:
“Burberry’s partnership with the V&A marks an incredible moment for British arts and culture. It unites two centuries-old cultural icons with a shared legacy of heritage and innovation, and a commitment to championing creativity in all its forms. We are so thrilled to come together with the V&A team to celebrate the rich history of our industry and to develop an immersive space that will inspire creative minds for generations to come.”
V&A South Kensington continues to feature a wide-ranging and dynamic series of fashion exhibitions including NAOMI. In Fashion (June 2024-April 2025), Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto (September 2023-February 2024), Africa Fashion (July 2022-March 2023); Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear (2022); Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams (2019); Mary Quant (2019-2020), Fashioned from Nature (2018-2019), Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion (2017 – 2018), Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear (2016 – 2017) and Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (2015).
As part of wider fashion programming at the museum, the V&A’s Fashion in Motion series has brought free-to-attend catwalk shows to the public for the last 20 years, enabling anyone to take a seat on the front row. The only fashion series of its kind, it allows people to experience a professional fashion event in the truly unique setting of the museum and has featured designers including Alexander McQueen, Erdem, Grace Wales Bonner, Guo Pei, Harris Reed, Jean Paul Gaultier, Kansai Yamamoto, Kenzo, Ma Ke, Missoni, Minju Kim, Molly Goddard, Orange Culture, Thebe Magugu, Vivienne Westwood and Yohji Yamamoto.
Fashion at the V&A. the V&A on FAD
