What does a century-old form tell us when placed alongside a contemporary silhouette? How can a historic piece of craftsmanship meet a modern material, or an age-old decorative technique a contemporary technology? And when they meet, what becomes more striking: the difference or the resemblance?
The latest exhibition at the Fashion Museum places outstanding pieces from the three-decade history of the Katti Zoób brand alongside garments created a century ago.
At the heart of the selection are the timeless values of couture: forms, materials, decorative techniques and artisanal craftsmanship to which the world of fashion has returned again and again across generations and eras. The exhibition deliberately brings together garments from different decades. The spirit of the 1920s connects them, while, as visitors move from room to room, the transformations of fashion over the past century become visible alongside the enduring heritage of couture that connects different eras.
Alongside iconic pieces from the fashion house, the exhibition also presents numerous rare historic garments. These bring the era in which they were created into tangible proximity, evoking the people who lived in it, the women who have faded into the mists of the past and once wore them, and the skilled artisans who brought them to life.
Alongside contemporary pieces from earlier Katti Zoób fashion shows, visitors will encounter historic garments and details that vividly demonstrate how a craft technique used a century ago could evolve into a contemporary form of decorative art. Techniques change, tools develop, and forms are reinterpreted – yet the timeless values of couture continue to live on today.
Moving among the garments, visitors can closely observe how cord embroidery was created in the 1920s and how this decorative technique inspired haute couture pieces in the 2000s. They can discover how earlier generations worked with pearls and what the modern fashion industry can create with them, while seeing for themselves that silhouettes which appear strikingly trendy, contemporary and fresh have, in fact, been part of our visual culture for many decades. The exhibition does not present garments from the past and present chronologically, but places them side by side in an ongoing dialogue, allowing each to reflect upon the other.
Opening hours:
From Wednesday till Sunday, 10:00-18:00. Last entrance at 17:30.