VOGUE: Inventing the Runway
VOGUE: Inventing the Runway is a spectacular new immersive exhibition exploring the history of the fashion runway show, from the intimate couture salons of the early 20th century to the unforgettable pop-culture events of the present.
Narrated by Cate Blanchett, the show utilises Vogue’s remarkable archive and contributor network to create an experience that brings together the industry’s leading voices from the past, present, and future.
Reviews
“The closest you can get to seeing a fashion show without being there… Unmissable.”
★★★★
The Telegraph
“Be prepared to be blown away.”
★★★★★
The Reviews Hub
“Dazzles”
★★★★
The Times
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“Get ready to lift the curtain on fashion’s iconic catwalk as you experience pivotal designers’ era-defining visions and unforgettable runway moments in large-scale.”
Visit London
“An incredible experience.”
The Nudge
“Visually stunning.”
Time Out
With first-hand testimony and a rich mixture of media, Inventing the Runway reveals how fashion shows became the ultimate statement of a designer’s vision – at times, a walking expression of their identity – reimagined season after season and year after year. It is a celebration of the imagination, discipline and passion that has revolutionised how we experience fashion.
Through a cycle of thematic chapters, Inventing the Runway will use original animation in an experience that is both visceral and insightful, with immersive sound design and a score fusing classical and pop music, all of which will evoke the worlds when iconic shows shifted the cultural landscape.
Houses and Designers
Inventing the Runway reveals how fashion shows became the ultimate statement of a designer’s vision – at times, a walking expression of their identity – reimagined season after season and year after year. The show features the work of the most significant creative minds in fashion history, including:
Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Burberry, Chanel, Chloé, Christian Dior, Christopher John Rogers, Comme des Garçons, Coperni, Courrèges, Dolce & Gabbana, Dries Van Noten, Fendi, Givenchy, Gucci, Helmut Lang, Hood by Air, Hussein Chalayan, Iris Van Herpen, Jacquemus, Jean Paul Gaultier, Junya Watanabe, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Maison Margiela, Marc Jacobs, Martine Rose, Miu Miu, Moschino, Patou, Prada, Pyer Moss, Rick Owens, Saint Laurent, Schiaparelli, Stella McCartney, Thierry Mugler, Thom Browne, Tomo Koizumi, Undercover, Versace, Victoria Beckham, Vivienne Westwood, Willy Chavarria, Yohji Yamamoto.
“At Vogue we’ve been lucky enough over the decades to see many incredible runway shows, which have often told the story of fashion as much as the clothes themselves. This Lightroom experience is a wonderful opportunity for a lot more people to experience first hand the thrill of watching the history of fashion unfold right in front of them.”
Anna Wintour, Chief Content Officer, Condé Nast, and Global Editorial Director, Vogue.
“It’s fitting to host this Lightroom experience within skipping distance of Central Saint Martins, where so many of the UK’s fashion students begin their journeys to becoming designers we know and love. I hope that the exhibition can be an educational tool that brings to life the most iconic cultural moments through fashion’s lens, for the next generation of aspiring designers.”
Chioma Nnadi, Head of Editorial Content for British Vogue.
“Runway shows have reflected society and its values for more than a century. We hope that Inventing the Runway gives audiences a better understanding of how those shows mirror the changes not only in fashion, but also culture at large—the arts, entertainment, technology, politics, and the ways that they’re all intertwined.“
Mark Guiducci, Creative Editorial Director, Vogue.
Ticket prices
Adults from £25
Students & Under 18s from £15
Under 3s go free
Dates
From 13 November 2024 – 26 April 2025
Duration
One complete loop lasts approximately 45 mins. You are welcome to stay for longer than one loop.
Audience Suitability
Content guidance: Some instances of nudity, parental discretion advised.
Vogue Conversations
An unmissable series of in-person talks with the designers, creative directors and inspiring minds shaping the world of fashion.
In 2025, VOGUE: Inventing the Runway at Lightroom will play host to Vogue Conversations, a series of unmissable talks with designers, creative directors and inspiring minds from the worlds of fashion and creativity.
Confirmed speakers include: Simone Rocha, Séan McGirr, Daniel Lee, Pierpaolo Piccioli and Andreas Kronthaler – more to be announced.
FAQs
Inventing the Runway is a collaboration between Lightroom and Vogue.
The show will utilise Vogue’s remarkable archive and contributor network to create an experience that brings together the industry’s leading voices from the past, present, and future.
Houses and designers confirmed include: Alexander McQueen, Anna Sui, Balenciaga, Burberry, Chanel, Chloé, Christian Dior, Christopher John Rogers, Comme des Garçons, Coperni, Courrèges, Dolce & Gabbana, Dries Van Noten, Elena Velez, Fendi, Givenchy, Gucci, Gypsy Sport, Helmut Lang, Hood by Air, Hussein Chalayan, Imitation of Christ, Iris Van Herpen, Jacquemus, Jean Paul Gaultier, Junya Watanabe, JW Anderson, Louis Vuitton, Maison Margiela, Marc Jacobs, Martine Rose, Missoni, Miu Miu, Moschino, Patou, Prada, Pyer Moss, Rick Owens, Schiaparelli, Stella McCartney, Thierry Mugler, Thom Browne, Tomo Koizumi, Undercover, Versace, Victoria Beckham, Vivienne Westwood, Willy Chavarria, Yohji Yamamoto.
With Lightroom’s four-storey walls as our 360-degree canvas, we will experience and interact with designers’ visions up close, in new ways and at unprecedented scale.
Inventing the Runway will use original animation in an experience that is both visceral and insightful, with immersive sound design and a score fusing original composition with classical and pop music, all of which will evoke the worlds when iconic shows shifted the cultural landscape.