Fashioned from Nature
The first UK exhibition to explore the complex relationship between fashion and nature from 1600 to the present day
Inspiring V&A show determined to incite change
Karen Dacre, Evening Standard
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Exhibition closed
- Exhibition ran from 21 April 2018 to 27 January 2019
- See all current & future exhibitions
This exhibition presented fashionable dress alongside natural history specimens, taxidermy and unprocessed plant and animal fibres, inviting visitors to think about the materials of fashion and the sources of their clothes.
Supported by
From grower to point of sale, the European Confederation of Flax and Hemp – CELC – brings together all players in the European flax fibre industry. Founded in 1951, CELC is the specialist representative of 10,000 enterprises in 14 European countries, overseeing the fibre, from plant to finished product. Its reach extends internationally by stimulating innovation and building on the values of natural fibres with established environmental qualities.
Exhibition Highlights
Waistcoat, 1780 – 1789, France. Museum no. T.49-1948. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Mantua, 1760s, France. Museum no. T.252 to C-1959. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Evening coat, Alix (Madame Grès), 1936, France. Museum no. T.234-1976. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Trouser suit, Bruno Pieters for Honest By, 2017, Belgium. Museum no. T.1702:1&2-2017. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Muslin day dress decorated with beetle wing cases, 1868-9, Britain. Museum no. T.1698:1 to 5-2017. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Hat of suede and Himalayan monal pheasant (Lophophorus impejanus), Lucienne Rabaté for Reboux, 1946, France. Museum no. T.384-1974. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
‘Clean Up or Die’ man’s ensemble, Katharine Hamnett, 1989, Britain. Ankle boots by Shellys. Museum no. T.208 to E-1990. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
‘Rootbound # 2’ dress, Diana Scherer, 2017, Netherlands. © Diana Scherer
Skirt with train, about 1890, England. Museum no. T.35-1950. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Outfit made from leather off-cuts and surplus yarn, Katie Jones, 2017. Photograph by Rachel Mann
Jacket and trousers, John Malkovich, 2017, France. Shoes, Christian Louboutin, 2018, Italy. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Ensemble, Stella McCartney, Winter 2017. © Stella McCartney
Calvin Klein Green Carpet Challenge dress worn by Emma Watson to the MET Gala 2016. © Matt Baron/REX/ Shutterstock
Jacket and jeans of Cradle to Cradle Certified™ denim fabric at the Gold Level, shirt and boots, G-Star RAW, 2018, Netherlands. © G-Star RAW
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Features
Inside the Fashioned From Nature exhibition
Take a look inside the Fashioned From Nature exhibition
The future of fashion
As the fashion industry continues to plunder the earth's resources, innovators are striving to find alternative production processes
Fashion inspired by the natural world
Discover more about how nature has provided a rich source of inspiration for fashion over the centuries
Fashioned from the animal kingdom
Working with colleagues at the Natural History Museum, London, we explore some of the materials used to create fashion that are drawn from the natural world
Linen – the original sustainable material
Used by Ancient Egyptians as an expression of class and still popular today, linen is the original sustainable fabric. Find out how it's made
Revealing hidden structures through x-rays
Discover the internal structures of a hat, stays, and a hood - three historic objects from the exhibition, Fashioned from Nature
Shop
Find inspiration in our incredible range of exclusive gifts, jewellery, books, fashion, prints & posters and much more...
Explore the range
Teachers' resource: Fashioned From Nature
Download the resource
Fashioned From Nature museum trail
This trail around the Museum showcases how natural forms have inspired design on many levels
Download the trail
Fashioned from Nature
Additional support from
Background image: Fashioned from Nature, 2018. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London