The Westwood | Kawakubo exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria brings together two of the most influential figures in contemporary fashion, whose practices have fundamentally challenged the conventions of dress, beauty, and authorship. Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo emerged from distinct cultural and political contexts, yet both reshaped fashion through acts of resistance. While Westwood employs politicised reinterpretations of historical dress, Kawakubo pursues a radical deconstruction of form and silhouette. Together, their practices reveal a shared conceptual intent expressed through distinctly individual design languages.
Through its carefully considered spatial design and immersive curatorial approach, the exhibition invites audiences to engage with fashion as both spectacle and experience. Rather than presenting garments as static objects, Westwood | Kawakubo situates them within broader conversations surrounding identity, power, and cultural expression. The exhibition boasts many recognizable pieces, such as Rihanna’s 2017 Met Gala fit and the tartan Westwood wedding dress worn by Kate Moss. Every room is just stunning, I think even Anna Wintour would be impressed.
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The exhibition is meticulously considered in its design, presentation, and pacing. Fashion exhibitions can often struggle to sustain audience engagement, particularly when compared to more conventional fine art displays of paintings, sculptures, and installations that visitors typically anticipate in gallery spaces. Yet during my visit, I overheard a younger visitor describe the experience as feeling as though they had participated in a fashion show, rather than merely observing one from the sidelines. Their comment encapsulated this exhibition’s success.
Rather than positioning high fashion as something distant or untouchable—reserved for invite-only fashion-week runways or celebrities on red carpets—the exhibition invites audiences into that world. For many visitors who have never attended a fashion show, this immersive exhibition demystifies an otherwise exclusive sphere. What the exhibition achieves so effectively is a careful balance: making fashion accessible and engaging for general audiences, while simultaneously offering a rich, curatorial masterclass for fashion enthusiasts.
Given Melbourne’s long-standing underground and arts-oriented culture, the exhibition sits comfortably within the city’s fashion landscape. Melbourne has historically embraced experimental and non-conformist design, a sensibility that aligns closely with Rei Kawakubo’s work for Comme des Garçons. This relationship is evident in the presence of dot Comme, an archival Comme des Garçons store that reinforces the brand’s established and ongoing relevance within the local fashion community.
Our existing cultural affinity to this style of fashion is also acknowledged by the Comme des Garçons pop-up store at the end of the exhibition. This collaboration of NGV x Comme des Garçons allows the exhibition to extend beyond the gallery space, offering visitors a material point of connection to the designers’ work. Rather than functioning purely as retail, the pop-up operates as a final extension of the exhibition experience, positioning both designers’ labels as enduring institutions within contemporary fashion history.
The NGV Friday Nights are particularly worth attending, transforming the gallery into an atmospheric after-hours experience complete with DJs, food, and immersive access to the exhibition. This fashion experience is definitely not one to miss for all Melbourne fashion baddies.
Westwood | Kawakubo is on display from 7 December 2025 to 19 April 2026 at NGV International.