London’s Fashion and Textile Museum Mounts Anna Sui Exhibit

By Lorelei Marfil on November 2, 2016

Backstage at Anna Sui RTW Spring 2017

Kyle Ericksen/WWD

ANNA’S WORLD: London’s Fashion and Textile Museum plans to mount an exhibition on American fashion designer Anna Sui in May.

“The World of Anna Sui” will showcase more than 100 of Sui’s pieces, organized around themes such as the bohemian, the goth, the punk, the rocker and the schoolgirl. Known for mixing and layering patterned textiles in her women’s wear ranges, the exhibition will showcase Sui’s various cultural inspirations, from Americana to Victoriana.

Highlights include pieces from her spring 1995 collection, which took its cue from the Forties, to her Carnaby Street schoolgirl ensembles, donned by Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell, in Sui’s debut 1991 runway show, as well as cheerleader and cowboy-inspired looks worn by Gigi and Bella Hadid at her spring 2017 show.

Also on display will be a range of baby-doll dresses from her 1994 collection. Sui, who was influenced by grunge music, calls it “her moment.” “If grunge music was an alternative to stadium rock, the kind of clothes I designed were my alternative to power dressing,” said Sui.

The show will also explore her design methods, apparel ranges and interior work, as well as her partnerships on textiles with Jeffrey Fulvimari, Barbara Hulanicki, Ascher Studio and Zandra Rhodes. It will also feature an area that highlights her creative collaborations with Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Pat McGrath, Erickson Beamon and James Coviello. The showcase will include mood boards, sketches, runway images and photographs.

“Anna Sui helped define the look of Generation X,” said Celia Joicey, head of the Fashion and Textile Museum. “As young creatives rediscover and reference the 1990s, it is time to explore the original designs in a critical context. Through ‘The World of Anna Sui,’ we hope to highlight a fresh cultural perspective on the so-called ‘slacker’ generation. The exhibition will showcase a fashion designer who, contrary to the stereotype, is not only highly creative and entrepreneurial, but also playful and positive.”

The exhibition will run from May 26 to Oct. 1.