The Wonderful World of Anna Sui

The Wonderful World of Anna Sui is being brought to life in an extensive exhibition at London’s Fashion and Textile Museum from May. The striking display of one of New York’s most celebrated designers is the first-ever retrospective exhibition of an American fashion designer to be held in the UK.

Documenting an illustrious career spanning over 30 years, the exhibition includes over 125 full look and the Detroit-born designer made sure the exhibition was a true representation of her eclectic brand. Arranged throughout several rooms that mirror Sui’s first ever New York boutique, with “the red floor, the purple walls, the black lacquered furniture,” as described by Sui.

The brand began with a catwalk show featuring Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell (whom Sui counts as close friends) and continued to become Anna Sui as we know it today. The exhibition embarks upon a stylistic time travel through ‘Anna’s Archetypes’, all pulled from her archive. The looks are made especially meaningful due to the meticulous research Sui does into her pop culture obsession of the moment. The work of Sui is further complemented by her numerous collaborations with high profile contemporaries such as Ascher Studio, Zandra Rhodes, Jeffrey Fulvimari and Barbara Hulanicki.

“Anna Sui helped define the look of Generation X,” said Dennis Nothdruft, Curator of the World of Anna Sui. “As young creatives rediscover and reference the 1990s, it is time to explore the original designs in a critical context.”

Joining the veritable hotbed of fashion exhibitons currently showing in London, such as Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion, this playful exhibition is unparalleled in its detail and originality.

The World of Anna Sui is at the Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey from the 26 May until the 1 October 2017.