CULTURE ROUNDUP GRAZIA
Welcome to your cultural cheat sheet for the year ahead, from the exhibitions to nab tickets for now to the books everyone will be talking about. January blues be gone…
EXHIBITIONS
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THE VICTORIA & ALBERT Museum in London is renowned for its dazzling fashion exhibitions. After its sell-out Chanel exhibition, the museum’s 2024 headline show will celebrate the life and career of supermodel Naomi Campbell. In true icon manner, the exhibition goes by first name only: Naomi.
The V&A’s curator for 20th century and contemporary fashion, Sonnet Stanfill, has worked closely with the super for the past 18 months to pull together the first ever exhibition to focus solely on the model’s body of work. ‘She has been involved in everything from developing the narrative to approving the garments and imagery for the project and signing off details of the exhibition design,’ Stanfill tells Grazia. ‘The exhibition spotlights Campbell’s enduring talent in the context of an ever-changing fashion industry, from the supermodel phenomenon of the early 1990s to the recent but long overdue recognition of fashion talent on the African continent.’ The exhibition coincides with the 40th anniversary of Campbell’s entry into the fashion world, after being scouted as a teenager while window shopping in Covent Garden by model agent Beth Boldt. Her career has since evolved into one of fashion’s great success stories. Having appeared on more than 500 magazine covers (she was the first Black British model on the cover of British Vogue), ‘[She’s] an exemplar in the field of fashion modelling. She has worked continuously for more than four decades, a rarity in a youth-focused industry,’ says Stanfill. ‘In addition to her longevity, her boundary breaking firsts for Black models have been important in moving the fashion industry forward.’
Visitors will see around 100 looks worn by Campbell throughout her career, including rare pieces from her own extensive wardrobe from designers such as Alexander McQueen, Azzedine Alaïa, John Galliano and Karl Lagerfeld, among many others. This was a strong focus for the curator. ‘We agreed that the exhibition aims to encapsulate her career through clothes,’ says Stanfill. ‘Naomi has a curator’s instinct and she has kept many important pieces and looks from across her career.’
Her long-time collaborator, the outgoing British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, played a part in the exhibition, too, having selected a range of images of Campbell he considers impactful. ‘His point of view is particularly important, given their career-long friendship and working relationship,’ says Stanfill.
Opening 22 June, forget Glastonbury – this is the hottest ticket o
