Gianni Versace’s enduring impact on fashion and pop culture is woven into every corner of the exhibition. Known for fusing fashion with music, fine art, antiquities, and celebrity, Versace pioneered a form of high-glamour design that helped elevate the designer to household name status
A major retrospective celebrating the life and legacy of Gianni Versace, one of the most iconic fashion designers of the 20th century, is coming to London for the first time. Gianni Versace Retrospective will open on July 16 at Arches London Bridge, showcasing over 450 original vintage garments, accessories, and memorabilia in what promises to be the largest exhibition of vintage Versace ever seen in the UK.
Described as an opulent journey through Versace’s revolutionary career, the exhibition will span 21 fashion seasons and over a decade of design history, taking visitors deep into the flamboyant, creative, and genre-defining world the Italian designer helped shape. The show has toured Europe in various forms, but its London edition has been expanded and updated to reflect the city’s deep ties to fashion and culture.
The exhibit will feature looks worn by global icons such as Princess Diana, Sir Elton John, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, and George Michael. Among the highlights are some of Elton John’s famed silk shirts by Versace, as well as archival pieces that underscore the designer’s close friendship with Princess Diana. The supermodels who helped define an era—Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, and others—will be honoured through the garments they wore both on the runway and in cultural moments like the legendary music video for George Michael’s Freedom.
Gianni Versace’s enduring impact on fashion and pop culture is woven into every corner of the exhibition. Known for fusing fashion with music, fine art, antiquities, and celebrity, Versace pioneered a form of high-glamour design that helped elevate the designer to household name status.
Versace was a pioneer in collaborative art, something that is commonplace these days, said Liz Koravos, Managing Director at Arches London Bridge. His crossover between fashion, music, pop culture, fine art, and the rise of the supermodel is all encapsulated in his work. The biggest collection of vintage Versace to ever visit the UK will give visitors a kaleidoscopic view of the ’90s. It’s not to be missed.
Curator Karl von der Ahe from Dreamrealizer shared his excitement about bringing the show to London. Gianni Versace’s bold, unapologetic vision revolutionised fashion, he said. This city — so rich in creativity and cultural influence — provides the perfect stage to celebrate his legacy.
The setting of Arches London Bridge, with its striking industrial architecture, is expected to create a dramatic and immersive environment for Versace’s glamorous and theatrical designs.
The announcement of the London exhibition comes just weeks after Donatella Versace announced she would be stepping down from her role as creative director of the fashion house, a position she assumed after Gianni’s tragic murder in 1997. She will remain an ambassador for the brand, while Dario Vitale takes over as creative lead. Versace’s legacy, however, continues to burn brightly. This retrospective not only honours his enduring influence but also allows a new generation to explore and appreciate the revolutionary work of the man who transformed fashion into art and spectacle.
Gianni Versace Retrospective runs from July 16 at Arches London Bridge. Entry details and ticket information are available via the venue’s official site. For lovers of fashion, culture, and the wild beauty of the ’90s, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience not to be missed
