Today, the Costume Institute announced “John Galliano: Horizons,” a spring 2027 exhibition that will explore and celebrate the work of John Galliano. In the history of The Met, only two other living designers have been the subject of such solo shows. The first was Yves Saint Laurent in 1983, organized by Diana Vreeland, and the second was Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons in 2017.

Galliano has been widely regarded as one of fashion’s greatest talents since his 1984 Central Saint Martins graduation collection, Les Incroyables. That collection, a lively mix of late-18th-century historical dress with his own New Romantic style, was bought in full by the British department store Browns. “Horizons,” organized by Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s Curator in Charge, draws heavily from the museum’s own extensive collection, including pieces from that breakout show. The other garments, accessories, sketches, toiles, research books, and archival materials in the exhibition span his early days as a scrappy London upstart and enfant terrible, when he created sartorial magic from the barest scraps; his formative time at Givenchy; his phenomenal success and later dramatic fall at Christian Dior; and his brilliant reinvention of Maison Margiela, where, as his successor Glenn Martens has said, “he really turned a designer’s brand into a house,” and, with his final, triumphant Artisanal collection for the label, a viral phenomenon.

“Every Galliano collection begins as a journey among things separated by time, place, or medium: portrait and posture, silhouette and story, memory and material,” Bolton said in a statement. “‘Horizons’ approaches fashion as a form of cartography, mapping not territories but affinities, tensions, and transformations. It traces how images become ideas, ideas become material, and material becomes emotion. Yet a horizon reveals not only what lies before us,” Bolton continued, “but also where we stand. The exhibition therefore considers both how Galliano has remapped the world through fashion and how his conduct, its consequences, and changing cultural values have reshaped our understanding of his work.”

DREAM CATCHER
Galliano—seen here with his Brussels Griffon terriers Coco and Gypsy—worked with landscape designer Camille Muller on the house’s English-inspired garden, which features a small lily pond.
Photographed by François Halard, Vogue, December 2021

Indeed, despite his creative genius, it wasn’t always certain that Galliano would receive the Costume Institute treatment. In 2011, he was arrested and subsequently fired from his role as creative director at Christian Dior for making antisemitic remarks at a Paris bar. Cast into creative exile, he spent time in rehabilitation and later reemerged at Maison Margiela, where he rebuilt his reputation, collection by collection.

“There is no one more deserving of an exhibition of this scale than John Galliano,” said Anna Wintour, Chief Content Officer of Condé Nast and Global Editorial Director of Vogue. “His body of work—at Dior, Givenchy, Margiela, his namesake label, and more—combines erudition and creativity, darkness and light, the past, the present, the future all smashing together in a brilliant way.” Wintour added: “He’s a great designer, and his career isn’t defined by a moment—something he will live with for the rest of his life. The exhibition won’t shy away from any of the darkness in John’s past. It’s part of what has shaped him. The show will take in the full arc of his career and grapple with all of it.”

The exhibition will crown Galliano’s very big year. In January, at an auction of “Dior Masterpieces” owned by Mouna Al Ayoub that broke records for a couture sale, a painted silk evening gown from Galliano’s “Clochards” or “Homeless” collection of Spring/Summer 2000 sold for €510,000, closely followed by a black taffeta evening gown from the same season that went for €420,000.

“John Galliano has exerted a profound influence on fashion over the past four decades.”des,” said Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and CEO. But that influence might only be starting: In September, the master couturier will step into the role of the “people’s designer.” That’s when the first collection from his two-year collaboration with the Spanish mass retailer Zara—which he calls a “reauthoring” of the mega brand’s archives—will arrive in stores.

Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about the upcoming Costume Institute exhibition focusing on John Galliano written in a natural and informative tone

General Questions

1 Wait is this a real thing John Galliano is getting a Met Gala exhibition
Yes its absolutely real The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced that its spring 2025 exhibition will be a full retrospective dedicated to the life and work of designer John Galliano

2 What is the exhibition called
The official title is Sleeping Beauties Reawakening Fashion While its centered on Galliano the concept is broaderits about bringing historical garments back to life with Gallianos work as the central thread

3 When and where will it be held
It will open at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on May 10 2025 and run through September 1 2025 The famous Met Gala red carpet will kick things off on the first Monday in May

4 Is this only about his time at Dior or does it cover his whole career
It covers his entire career The exhibition will feature pieces from his early days at his own label in the 1980s his groundbreaking work at Givenchy his iconic 15year tenure at Dior and his current work as the creative director of Maison Margiela

5 I know he had a big scandal Is the exhibition going to address that
The Mets focus is primarily on the fashion and the artistry of the garments While the context of his life and career will be acknowledged the curators have stated that the exhibition is a celebration of his creative genius and technical skill not a biography of his personal controversies

The Sleeping Beauties Concept

6 What does Sleeping Beauties mean in the context of this show
Its a poetic metaphor Many of the garments are too fragile to be hung on mannequins The exhibition will use technology like 3D projection Xrays and animation to reawaken these pieces showing what they looked like when they were first worn without risking damage to the originals