Coming Soon: A Spectacular Fashion Exhibition Celebrating Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo Is Making Its World Premiere in Australia
More than 140 designs will be on display at the NGV across summer 2025–26, covering threads donned by Rihanna, Kate Moss, The Sex Pistols and more.
When the National Gallery of Victoria dedicates its blockbuster summer or winter exhibitions to big fashion names, one word usually applies no matter which designer is in the spotlight: stunning. It was true back in 2022 when the Melbourne venue turned its focus to Alexander McQueen, for instance, and also in 2021 when it did the same with Gabrielle Chanel. Expect the same across the summer of 2025–26, when it's Vivienne Westwood's time to shine, plus Rei Kawakubo from Comme des Garçons' moment as well.
Heading to NGV International across Sunday, December 7, 2025–Sunday, April 19, 2026, Westwood | Kawakubo is both an Australian and a world first, pairing pieces by both the British talent and the Japanese designer in one massive showcase. No matter which of the duo's works you're looking at, you'll be revelling in rule-breaking, status quo-subverting threads. Some helped define the fashion of the punk movement in the 70s. Others have earned the world's attention at the Met Gala. In-between, items donned by supermodels, seen in films and from collections worn by plenty of well-known names will feature.
Vivienne Westwood, London (fashion house), Vivienne Westwood (designer). Outfits from the Portrait collection, autumn–winter 1990–91 (detail). 116 Pall Mall, London, March 1990. Photo © John van Hasselt / Sygma via Getty Images. Models: Susie Bick & Denice D. Lewis.
In total, more than 140 designs are set to display at the NGV. To assemble such a wide range, the gallery has sourced pieces from New York's Metropolitan Museum, The Victoria & Albert Museum, Palais Galliera and the Vivienne Westwood archive, plus its own collection. Over 40 works are new gifts to the gallery from Comme des Garçons especially for Westwood | Kawakubo, as chosen by Kawakubo.
Among the full lineup of items: punk ensembles made famous by The Sex Pistols and Siousie Sioux, the wedding gown that Sarah Jessica Parker (And Just Like That...) wore in Sex and the City: The Movie and the tartan dress that Kate Moss stepped into in Westwood's Anglomania collection in the mid 90s — and also a version of Rihanna's petal-heavy 2017 Met Gala outfit, plus pieces from collections that Lady Gaga and Tracee Ellis Ross (Black Mirror) have sported.
Rhianna wearing Comme des Garçons, Tokyo (fashion house), Rei Kawakubo (designer) at The Met Gala, 2017. Photo © Francois Durand via Getty Images.
Westwood | Kawakubo will span from taffeta to tweed, vinyl and leather to silk, and corsetry to ruffles and knitwear, then — and much beyond. The exhibition is designed to step through Westwood and Kawakubo's careers across five thematic strands, including the former's punk-era work and the influence of the movement on the latter, their shared needs to rebel against the norm, how the two women have looked either forward or back in their pieces, eschewing objectification and using fashion to make a statement.
"This exhibition celebrates two leading female fashion designers from different cultural backgrounds, who both had strong creative spirits and pushed boundaries," explained NGV Director Tony Ellwood, announcing the showcase.
"Through more than 140 designs from the NGV Collection and key international loans, Westwood | Kawakubo invites audiences to reflect on the enduring legacies of these groundbreaking designers and contemplate the ways in which fashion can be a vehicle for self-expression and freedom."
Vivienne Westwood, London (fashion house), Vivienne Westwood (designer) Look 49, from the Anglomania collection, autumn–winter 1993–94. Le Cercle Républicain, Paris, March 1993. Photo © firstVIEW. Model: Kate Moss.
Comme des Garçons, Tokyo (fashion house), Rei Kawakubo (designer) Look 9, from the 2 Dimensions collection, autumn–winter 2012. Paris, 3 March 2012. Image © Comme des Garçons. Model: Henna Lintukangas.
Sarah Jessica Parker wearing a Vivienne Westwood wedding gown on the set of Sex and the City: The Movie, New York City, 12 October 2007. Photo © James Devaney / WireImage via Getty Images.
Comme des Garçons, Tokyo (fashion house), Rei Kawakubo (designer) Look 1, from the Blue Witch collection, spring–summer 2016. Paris, 3 October 2015. Image © Comme des Garçons. Model: Maja Brodin.
World's End, London (fashion house), Vivienne Westwood (designer), Malcolm McLaren (designer) Outfit from the Savage collection, spring–summer 1982. Pillar Hall, Olympia, London, 22 October 1981. Photo © Robyn Beeche.
Comme des Garçons, Tokyo (fashion house), Rei Kawakubo (designer) Look 13, from the Uncertain Future collection, spring–summer 2025. Paris, 28 September 2024. Image © Comme des Garçons. Model: Astrid Wagemakers.
Westwood | Kawakubo displays from Sunday, December 7, 2025–Sunday, April 19, 2026 at NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne. Head to the gallery website for tickets and more details.
Top image: excerpt of Rhianna wearing Comme des Garçons, Tokyo (fashion house), Rei Kawakubo (designer) at The Met Gala, 2017. Photo © Francois Durand via Getty Images.
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