V&A to host first-ever Schiaparelli exhibition in the UK

London’s V&A museum, which has hosted fashion exhibitions celebrating Chanel, Alexander McQueen and Christian Dior, will stage the first-ever exhibit in the UK devoted to haute couture and ready-to-wear fashion house Schiaparelli.

‘Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art’ will run from March 21 to November 1, 2026, and will chart the history and impact of Elsa Schiaparelli, described as one of the 20th century’s most innovative fashion designers. It will trace the origins of the house, from its paradigm-shifting garments in the 1920s through to its present-day incarnation in the hands of its creative director, Daniel Roseberry, who joined the fashion house in 2019.

Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A, said in a statement: “Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art will celebrate one of the most ingenious and daring designers in fashion history. The V&A holds one of the largest and most important fashion collections in the world, and the foremost collection of Schiaparelli garments in Britain.

“Schiaparelli’s collaboration with artists and with the world of performance make the Maison and its founder an ideal subject for a spectacular exhibition at the V&A.”

Fashion house Schiaparelli is to be celebrated with an exhibition at the V&A museum in London in 2026

The exhibition will feature more than 200 objects, including garments, accessories, jewellery, paintings, photographs, sculpture, furniture, perfumes and archive material, all gathered to celebrate the house of Schiaparelli’s “boundless creativity,” explains the museum.

The V&A holds some of Elsa Schiaparelli’s most radical designs, and the exhibition will highlight the ‘Skeleton’ dress and the ‘Tears’ dress, along with a hat shaped to look like an upside-down shoe, all conceived in collaboration with Salvador Dalí. Artworks by Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and Man Ray will also be on display.

The exhibition will also reference the popularity of Schiaparelli’s designs for film and theatre productions, showing how the designer turned ordinary items into innovative clothing, accessories and jewellery.

In addition, the V&A states the exhibit will feature new research undertaken by art and fashion curators focused on the creative collaborations and work of founder Elsa Schiaparelli, spotlighting how the female entrepreneur became a key figure innovating fashion, art and performance from Paris to London and New York in the years between the two world wars and up to her retirement in 1954.

The exhibition will also highlight the London branch of Schiaparelli, sharing its clients and the founder’s own involvement in the satellite location.

Delphine Bellini, chief executive of Schiaparelli, added: “Elsa Schiaparelli’s fearless imagination and radical vision redefined the boundaries between fashion and art. This exhibition celebrates her enduring influence through iconic collaborations with 20th-century masters and a pioneering fusion of creativity and commerce.

“With its unparalleled collections, expertise in fashion and design, cultural reach, and ability to bridge tradition and innovation, the Victoria and Albert Museum offers the perfect setting to showcase her legacy alongside Daniel Roseberry’s creations, which carry her surrealist spirit forward blurring lines with bold, sculptural designs that both honour and reinvent her vision for a new century.”