Fashion Gets Dirty in the Barbican’s ‘Dirty Looks’ Exhibition

The Barbican is getting down and dirty with its latest fashion exhibition, “Dirty Looks,” from Sept. 25 to Jan. 25.

The exhibit will display the works of more than 60 designers and how they’ve played with the theme of dirty and decay in their collections, from Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, Hussein Chalayan and Comme des Garçons to Rick Owens.

“We wanted to look into themes like sustainability and regeneration, which are the challenges currently facing the fashion industry. The goal was to see how designers have tackled these ideas from a creative point of view, how the desire to be connected to the earth — a longing for simpler, more rustic times or nostalgia of mud — plays out visually in fashion designers’ work,” says Karen Van Godtsenhoven, curator of Barbican Art Gallery.

The theme of the exhibition was inspired by the use of nontraditional and organic materials in the work of young designers and Central Saint Martins graduates, from deadstock fabrics to natural dyes.

The reappearance of mud on designer runways was another touch point.

“We wanted to trace these aesthetics and place them in a historical context. It was interesting to see the different shapes and expressions the nostalgia of mud has taken,” says Van Godtsenhoven, referring to Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s “Buffalo” collection from 1982 and Chalayan’s graduate 1993 collection “The Tangent Flows,” where he buried his dresses underground for six weeks before showing them.

“Dirty Looks” connects fashion and the earth in a spiritual way.

Mud was all the rage in Demna’s Balenciaga summer 2023 show as models stomped through wet, dirty soil.

“It’s incredible how many designers have turned ‘trash’ into treasure and have been very innovative and creative with it: from those who have used spoons and forks as part of couture gowns, to the designers who have buried garments in the mud, or made dresses from fashion waste,” Van Godtsenhoven says.

“The ‘dirty’ inspiration is endless and shows that values such as sustainability or circularity are drivers of artistic experimentation and creation. Contemporary designers are using tree bark or elm tree branches as part of their creations,” she adds.

Judging by the lineup of designers, which also includes Helmut Lang, Marine Serre and Paco Rabanne, it seems like everyone has gotten dirty at some point in their fashion careers.