The Barbican Centre is hosting the Dirty Looks exhibition, which approaches fashion from a fresh and unconventional perspective. The exhibition examines how dirt and decay have been used historically and in contemporary fashion, highlighting creative approaches that challenge traditional beauty standards. Featuring a wide selection ranging from romantic evening gowns to faux-stained jeans, mud-splattered dresses, and upcycled outfits, the show invites viewers to reconsider fashion’s relationship with the earth, the body, and sustainability.
Dirty Looks explores how dirt and decay have been used to defy beauty standards and why this approach is resurging in the work of young designers. As a counterpoint to the glossy, flawless surfaces of the digital world, these artistic practices point toward new ways of thinking about a sustainable future in fashion.
The exhibition brings together works by iconic designers such as Hussein Chalayan, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Miguel Adrover, and Maison Margiela, alongside emerging talents like Elena Velez, Yuima Nakazato, and IAMISIGO. Tracing fashion’s complex relationship with “dirt” from Queen Elizabeth II to Kate Moss, the exhibition presents grime as a language of resistance, spirituality, and ecological repair, offering a radical alternative to pristine and sterile surfaces.
Dirty Looks examines fashion’s engagement with dirt, decay, and waste across past, present, and future contexts. The show also features works by pioneers like Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, and Hussein Chalayan, as well as contemporary designers including Michaela Stark, Di Petsa, and Jordan Luca.
The Dirty Looks exhibition will be on view at the Barbican Centre until 25 January 2026.
