Guo Pei – “Guo Pei: Couture Beyond” – Cover – Dress and jacket from the “An Amazing Journey in a Childhood Dream” collection, 2008 – Photography Courtesy of SCAD.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Fashion in Motion, the V&A will be hosting a landmark presentation by Chinese couturier Guo Pei. Famous for designing Rihanna’s yellow gown worn at the 2015 Met Gala, Guo Pei has dressed celebrities and royalty for over 20 years.

This will be the designer’s first ever show in the UK and will feature looks from her autumn/winter 2019/20 Alternate Universe couture collection inside the museum’s Raphael Gallery on Friday 1 November 2019.

Providing a platform for both established and up-and-coming designers, the regular Fashion in Motion series presents free-to-attend runway shows for the public and has previously featured Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Yohji Yamamoto. It is the only museum catwalk series of this kind. 

Guo Pei first presented her ground-breaking Alternate Universe collection at this year’s Paris Couture Week. The collection is based on the idea of a new universe where light and darkness co-exist, angels and demons sit next to one another and magical creatures creep out of the shadows.

Combining the use of pineapple hemp fabric, Lafite embroidery and her signature three-dimensional embroidery techniques, the collection conjures up vivid images of mystical creatures from a different realm.

Drawing inspiration from myths, legends and parables, animal and insect motifs feature heavily throughout the collection, from the monkeys of Aesop’s Fables to the poisonous snake which lured Eve to steal the forbidden fruit.

Guo Pei was the first Chinese Guest Member of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. Named one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People; one of Business of Fashion’s 500 most influential people; and with a new studio in Paris, her prominence in the fashion industry continues to grow.

Tickets for the four free catwalk shows will be available to book online via the V&A website from Monday 21 October.

Guo Pei is on the cover of our next issue, Selvedge Issue 91 Luxe, pre-order or subscribe to receive it.