Reflections on Fashion at Kunstmuseum, featuring many designers from FASHIONCLASH community
How do you celebrate seventy-five years of collecting fashion without simply presenting a chronological survey? With Reflections on Fashion, on view at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag from 4 July 2026 to 3 January 2027, the museum takes a refreshing approach. Rather than allowing curators alone to tell the story of the Netherlands' largest fashion and costume collection, it invites a diverse group of designers, makers, writers, stylists and cultural voices to reinterpret it through their own perspectives.
With Reflections on Fashion, Kunstmuseum Den Haag celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Netherlands' largest fashion and costume collection by rethinking how museum collections can be presented. Rather than offering a chronological overview, the exhibition invites a diverse group of guest curators—including designers, makers, writers, stylists and cultural practitioners—to reinterpret iconic pieces from the collection through their own perspectives.
Designs by Iris van Herpen, Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Fong-Leng, Viktor & Rolf, Jan Taminiau and many others are presented alongside new narratives created by guest curators. The result is an exhibition that demonstrates how fashion history is never fixed, but continuously evolves through new interpretations and voices.
What distinguishes Reflections on Fashion is its curatorial model. Rather than constructing a single institutional narrative, the museum embraces multiple perspectives through collaborations with guest curators including Jan Taminiau, Lisa Konno, Ronald van der Kemp, Tess van Zalinge, Janice Deul, Bas Kosters, KledingCast, Tailors & Wearers, Patta's Guillaume Schmidt and Vic Crezée, ULKUHANBATUHAN, Alu Studios and fashion historian Karolina Żebrowska. Each contributor approaches the collection from their own discipline, cultural background or lived experience, resulting in surprising juxtapositions and stories that move beyond traditional fashion history.
It is especially rewarding to see that many designers connected to the FASHIONCLASH community are represented, both through their work in the museum collection and as guest curators. Pieces by designers including Jan Taminiau, Denzel Veerkamp, David Paulus, Giorgio Toppin, The Nightmare Disorder, Babs Grooteschaarsberg, Lisa Konno, Anouk Beckers, Schepers Bosman, Faye van der Aa, David R. Siepman, Peter Wertmann, Bastiaan Reijnen, many of whom have previously participated in FASHIONCLASH Festival, highlight the longstanding relationship between the festival and the Dutch fashion landscape. It was a pleasure to encounter several garments that were first presented in a FASHIONCLASH context before finding their place within this important museum collection.
More than a retrospective, Reflections on Fashion shows how fashion collections can become dynamic spaces for dialogue, where contemporary perspectives breathe new life into historical garments and invite visitors to look at fashion history with fresh eyes.
