Lightroom and Vogue launch immersive catwalk exhibition in London

A new immersive exhibition exploring the history of fashion shows will open at Lightroom in London on 25 October. Vogue: Inventing the catwalk, “It ranges from the intimate haute couture salons of the early 20th century to the shows of the present.”

It will use Vogue’s archive and network of collaborators “to create an experience that brings together the industry’s leading voices from the past, present and future.”

Vogue promises “first-hand testimony and a rich mix of media” to reveal how fashion shows “became the ultimate statement of a designer’s vision – sometimes a walking expression of their identity – reimagined season after season and year after year.”

And some of the biggest names in fashion have signed up to take part, including (among many others) Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Burberry, Chanel, Chloé, Dior, Comme des Garçons, Courrèges, Dolce & Gabbana, Dries Van Noten, Gucci, Jean Paul Gaultier, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu, Prada, Stella McCartney, Thierry Mugler and Versace.

We’re told the exhibition will “take us inside fashion shows, front row and backstage, transporting audiences through places and eras… With the four-story walls of Lightroom as our 360-degree canvas, we’ll experience and interact with designers’ visions up close, in new ways and on an unprecedented scale.”

It will include a cycle of themed episodes that will use original animation “in an experience that is both visceral and insightful, with an immersive sound design and a soundtrack that fuses the original composition with classical and pop music, all of which will evoke the worlds in which the iconic shows changed the cultural landscape.”

The show will feature coverage from Vogue and its archive, dating back to its first publication in 1892, as well as rare materials from fashion houses and contributors, commentary from editors who witnessed historic shows, the models who walked them and the designers who created them.

Chioma Nnadi, Editorial Content Director at British Vogue, said: “It’s fitting to host this Lightroom experience just a stone’s throw from Central Saint Martins, where many of the UK’s fashion students begin their journey to becoming the designers we know and love. I hope the exhibition can be an educational tool, bringing iconic cultural moments to life through the lens of fashion, for the next generation of aspiring designers.”

Tickets are now on sale.