Victoria & Albert Museum
Before the world gave an abrupt turn, 2020 had a really exciting start for us at the studio, as we saw the V&A opening its doors to the public to our largest exhibition design project so far; Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk. Storey Studio was commissioned to design the exhibition space, which came to life through an exciting collaboration with different creative specialists and the V&A team of curators and producers. The space created colourful and vibrant immersive environments that changed and evolved along the narrative curated by V&A Keeper of Asian Department Anna Jackson, and Project Curator Josephine Rout.
During this one-year creative process, we collaborated with graphic designer Claude d’Avoine to create the visual communication of the exhibition. Although you can see part of these graphic pieces displayed in the space on the photos featured on our website project page, we wanted to share here the beautiful posters for the marketing campaign that Claude produced in collaboration with the V&A. They were shot in the streets of Japan in 2020.
Despite the temporary closure of the museum, we were delighted to see the project featured in the media like The Guardian and Wallpaper*
Captured as the museum was closing its doors for a while in London, curator Anna Jackson guided virtual visitors through the exhibition spaces through a series of short films, providing a personal insight into the making of the show, star exhibits and the fascinating history of the kimono. Sometimes perceived as traditional, timeless and unchanging, Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk counters this conception, presenting the garment as a dynamic and constantly evolving icon of fashion.
You can re-discover the concept of the kimono and enjoy the mini tour with Anna here: Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk Curator Tour
