The NGV is kicking off the 2025–26 summer season with a world-premiere exhibition that fashion lovers are already calling a once-in-a-generation moment. Opening 7 December 2025, Westwood | Kawakubo pairs two of the most rebellious, imaginative forces in fashion history: Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons.
Though born worlds apart—Westwood in Derbyshire, Kawakubo in Tokyo—the two designers share a creative DNA defined by subversion, rule-breaking, and total disregard for polite fashion conventions. Across nearly 150 groundbreaking looks, NGV charts the parallels and divergences in their practices, from the punk revolution of the 1970s to the sculptural, avant-garde silhouettes that dominate contemporary runways.
The exhibition draws on a remarkable lineup of international loans, including pieces from The Met, V&A, Palais Galliera, and the Vivienne Westwood archive, alongside more than 100 works from NGV’s own collection. Notably, the exhibition also showcases 40 pieces gifted directly by Comme des Garçons—a major coup for the museum and a gift that cements Melbourne as a rising fashion capital.
Visitors can expect showstoppers at every turn:
• Westwood’s infamous punk ensembles worn by The Sex Pistols and Siouxsie Sioux
• Her iconic corseted wedding dress worn by Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City: The Movie
• Kawakubo’s sculptural petal ensemble worn by Rihanna at the 2017 Met Gala
• Works from the legendary Body Meets Dress – Dress Meets Body collection (SS1997)
• Highly abstract silhouettes from Invisible Clothes and Two Dimensions
The exhibition unfolds across five themes—Punk and Provocation, Rupture, Reinvention, The Body, and The Power of Clothes—giving audiences a deep look into how each designer has reshaped fashion, identity, and the female form. Their garments are presented in a strikingly symmetrical layout, treating the designers like “left and right hands”—distinct yet connected.
NGV Director Tony Ellwood calls the exhibition “a chance to reflect on how fashion becomes a tool for self-expression and freedom.” And judging by early industry buzz, this show is set to become one of NGV’s most visited exhibitions ever.
