For the first time in its history, the Musée du Louvre hosts “Louvre Couture,” a groundbreaking exhibition intertwining art and haute couture.
Open from January 24 to July 21, 2025, this event showcases 100 designs from 45 renowned fashion houses alongside historical masterpieces, creating a dialogue between fashion and art like never before.
Key Takeaways
- The Louvre's first-ever fashion exhibition, "Louvre Couture," celebrates the fusion of haute couture with the museum’s art collections, featuring over 100 creations by iconic designers.
- Highlights include collaborations between art and couture, with designers drawing from Byzantine mosaics, Renaissance tapestries, and 18th-century furniture.
- This exhibition aims to engage younger audiences, reinterpreting the Louvre’s collections and showing how the past and present are connected.
A Historic Fusion of Fashion and Art
For the first time in its history, the Musée du Louvre has opened its doors to haute couture, hosting Louvre Couture: Objets d’art, Objets de mode.
This landmark exhibition, running from January 24 to July 21, 2025, transforms the museum into an extraordinary dialogue between classical art and contemporary fashion.
Visitors will discover how history’s artistic treasures inspire some of the greatest minds in fashion, from Karl Lagerfeld to Dolce & Gabbana.
With over 9,000 square meters dedicated to the exhibition, the Louvre is showcasing more than 100 designs from 45 legendary fashion houses, including creations by Chanel, Dior, Versace, and Iris van Herpen.
Carefully placed alongside works from the museum’s renowned Objets d’art collection, each piece creates a dialogue that connects eras and disciplines in a way that has never been done before.
“The Louvre is so much more than just the ‘Mona Lisa,’” says Olivier Gabet, the museum’s Director of Decorative Arts and curator of the exhibition.
“Today, I think fashion is even more interesting when it’s presented in relation to other fields. When you talk to a designer, of course, they talk about fashion, but also about art, craftsmanship, and photography.”
A Journey Through Centuries of Beauty and Craft
In the exhibition, visitors are encouraged to wander and explore how art from different periods inspires contemporary fashion.
And the journey begins with the opulence of Byzantium and the Middle Ages.
Gold, ivory, and gemstones glisten in the galleries, where garments are displayed on mirrored catwalks to mimic the atmosphere of a fashion runway.
Among the highlights is a Dolce & Gabbana wool dress embroidered with crystals, stones, and sequins, which is directly inspired by an 11th-century Italian mosaic from Torcello.
Further along, the Renaissance halls come alive with majestic tapestries and finely crafted suits of armor paired with modern couture pieces.
In one striking display, a suit of armor is reimagined as a shimmering dress.
The exhibition continues into the Council of State rooms, where fashion inspired by the Grand Siècle reflects the luxury of the French court.
The period rooms of the 18th century serve as the perfect backdrop for gowns, ensembles, and accessories that evoke the era’s refinement.
Visitors will also marvel at creations like Dior’s Sun King-inspired silk gown, which is placed alongside a baroque portrait of Louis XIV himself.
The tour ends in the Napoleon III apartments, a true 19th-century showstopper.
With lavish ball gowns and intricate fabrics on display, the exhibition offers a glimpse into the glamour of imperial France—an eye-catching finale, at the very least.
The Louvre as a Source of Endless Inspiration
For decades, the Louvre has been a source of inspiration for some of the world’s most celebrated designers.
Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Louboutin, and Alexander McQueen have all drawn from the museum’s vast collections.
Karl Lagerfeld, for example, once referred to the Louvre as his “second studio,” and his work often reflected this connection.
One standout piece in the exhibition is a Chanel jacket from Lagerfeld’s 2019 collection.
Its embroidered design is inspired by an 18th-century chest crafted by cabinetmaker Mathieu Criaerd.
The jacket illustrates how fashion can reinterpret classical artistry in modern ways.
Christian Dior’s Musée du Louvre gown—a masterpiece that opens the exhibition—is another example of this relationship.
According to Gabet, it is the only haute couture piece ever named after a museum, underscoring the profound link between art and fashion.
But this connection is not new.
Figures like Jacques Doucet and Marie-Louise Carven, early patrons of the Louvre, established a tradition of collaboration between the museum and the fashion industry.
Doucet, a renowned French couturier and art collector, donated numerous objets d’art to the museum, laying the foundation for the creative exchanges seen today.
A Vision for Modern Audiences
Laurence des Cars, President of the Louvre, describes Louvre Couture as part of a broader mission to make the museum more relevant to new generations.
“It’s very important for the Louvre to continue to open itself up to new generations and to make its own small contribution to understanding today’s world. That is exactly what this exhibition does,” she explains.
This vision mirrors the success of similar exhibitions at institutions like New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
In 2017, a Christian Dior retrospective at the Museum of Decorative Arts—housed within the Louvre Palace—attracted massive crowds and international attention.
However, the Louvre faces challenges as it looks to innovate.
A confidential memo from des Cars recently revealed concerns about overcrowding and the museum’s aging infrastructure.
Despite receiving €96 million in public subsidies in 2024, the museum is seeking an additional €100 million for renovations to improve visitor amenities.
Des Cars has also suggested raising ticket prices for non-European visitors to generate more revenue.
During the challenges, the Louvre is set to host a fundraising gala during Paris Women’s Fashion Week in March.
Known as the Grand Dîner, this event has already raised over €1 million to support the museum’s restoration projects.
A Masterpiece in Scenography
The exhibition’s immersive design, created by Nathalie Crinière, is as much a work of art as the pieces on display.
Crinière, known for her work with Dior and Iris van Herpen, has transformed the museum’s galleries into theatrical stages where fashion and art interact in perfect harmony.
Each display is carefully curated to highlight the relationship between the garments and the artworks.
Mirrored runways, dramatic lighting, and period settings draw visitors into an experience that feels intimate yet grand.
A Timeless Conversation
At its heart, Louvre Couture is a celebration of creativity and craftsmanship.
It highlights the shared artistry between fashion and classical art, showing how both continue to inspire and shape each other.
As Olivier Gabet aptly puts it, “Fashion is about creation. The artistic culture shared between great designers—that’s the leitmotif of the collection.”
Running until July 21, 2025, Louvre Couture promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime journey through art and fashion.
