Set up in the tissues of ancient hall of the Museo del Tessuto, the exhibition is a journey in style and taste of the artistic culture of the eighteenth century, through fashion, the fabric and the decorative arts.

Over 100 exhibits, including textiles, male and female clothing, china, fashion accessories, paintings and engravings tell the style changes which take place in this period of history, exoticism to the “whims” of composition of the first half of the century up the classical forms austere neoclassical ornamentation. The combination of fabrics to different types of artifacts and artistic techniques allows visitors to have a complete view of all the styles that cross the century – bizarre, chinoiserie, dentelles, revel just to mention a few examples of eighteenth-century textile production – so coming to create an ongoing dialogue with both the clothing and fashion accessories, and with the other pieces of furniture.

The exhibition makes use of decisive and prestigious collaboration of the Museum of Fashion and Costume of the Uffizi Gallery, the Stibbert Museum in Florence and the Textile Studio Museum of Como Antonio Ratti Foundation, as well as other prestigious institutions both public and private, that have allowed the construction of a single exhibition and novel of a century so rich and complex as the eighteenth century.

In addition to fabrics in our collections, overtime clothing from the Museum of Fashion and Costume of the Uffizi Gallery, the rare examples in silk Textile Studio Museum of the Fondazione Antonio Ratti , interact with the precious waistcoat and fine pottery of the treasure trove that is the Stibbert Museum in Florence . They enrich the way the volumes of the Central National Library of Florence, footwear era from Salvatore Ferragamo Museum, the paintings from the Museum of Palazzo Pretorio in Prato and the Florentine antique galleries Heirs Antonio Esposito – Antiques Gallery, Collection Giovanni Pratesi, TornabuoniArt.

From 31 March 2017 to 27 August 2017, MoMu is displaying Belgian stylist Martin Margiela’s Hermès collections from 1997 to 2003 for the first time. The tribute exhibition also explores the relationship during these years between these collections and his own label, Maison Martin Margiela. Groundbreaking deconstruction and timeless luxury – the two worlds of designer Martin Margiela – are the starting point of the exhibition ‘‘Margiela, the Hermès years’’.

When the Parisian house Hermès appointed Martin Margiela as its artistic director for the women’s ready-to-wear collections in October 1997, the founder of Maison Martin Margiela had already been known for almost a decade as one of the most influential avant-garde designers. His predilection for the deconstruction, recycling and recovery of materials was unheard of in the fashion world of that era. His conceptual approach to the presentation, sales and communication of his collections has changed the way we think about fashion and its underlying mechanisms, as well as our opinions on craftsmanship, commerce, authorship and innovation.

When Jean-Louis Dumas, then CEO of Hermès, approached Margiela for the label’s ready-to-wear for women at the end of the 1990s, it was a daring choice to say the least, and not in line with the prevailing developments on the fashion scene, which preferred celebrity designers to breathe new life into traditional French fashion houses. The fact that Hermès, the crown jewel of Parisian luxury, chose Margiela – an iconoclast who longed to remain anonymous and up to then had never given a single interview – raised quite a few eyebrows.

The fashion press greedily speculated whether Margiela would apply his deconstruction idiom to the iconic Hermès legacy.

Margiela’s work for Hermès continues to influence the work of many contemporary designers. During Paris Fashion Week for autumn-winter 2016-2017, the international press described Martin Margiela – who retreated from the fashion world more than eight years ago – as the “true protagonist” of fashion week. High time to showcase some of his masterpieces with “Margiela – The Hermès Years” at MoMu.

Manish Malhotra has been invited by the Philadelphia Museum of Art to speak on the craft of Phulkari. To be held on 28th April 2017, the discussion is an indication of global interest in Indian crafts and textiles.

The conversation will be held on the side-lines of the Museum’s ongoing retrospective spotlighting the Phulkari technique at their Joan Spain Gallery. In yet another milestone, ensembles from Manish’s 2013 Collection ‘Threads of Emotion’ will be on display at the exhibit.

The only designer to be part of this tribute, Manish Malhotra’s collection is an inspired endeavour – it took an average of 3 months to complete each outfit which was created by a single craftsman to retain the uniformity in the design. On display are outfits that re-imagine Phulkari through a contemporary lens, including silhouettes like gowns and jackets paired with cigarette pants and so on.