See Rihanna’s China: Through the Looking Glass Met Gala gown in person at the SCAD Guo Pei: Couture Beyond exhibition
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Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is exhibiting the first U.S. solo museum exhibition of designs by eminent Chinese designer Guo Pei.
Guo Pei: Couture Beyond, Sep 7, 2017 to March 4, 2018, at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film.
In her creations, Guo Pei imbues contemporary high fashion with ancient tradition, invoking history and mythology through intricate craftsmanship and avant-garde silhouettes rife with symbolism.
This landmark exhibition features more than 30 of Guo Pei’s most exquisite gowns, accordant footwear and accessories, including the now-iconic imperial yellow cape worn by Rihanna at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala in 2015 — a seminal moment that introduced Guo Pei to America’s fashion cognoscenti.
In concert with the exhibition, SCAD is collaborating with alumni to produce a major monograph celebrating Guo Pei’s spectacular oeuvre. The book, the first to focus solely on Guo Pei, will feature captivating new and archival images of the designer’s work and offers insight into her remarkable career and global significance as an artist. The volume will be published by Skira Rizzoli and is slated for release in December 2017.
“International superstar fashion artist Guo Pei is in a league of her own, as is SCAD, the preeminent source of knowledge in the disciplines we teach,” said SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace. “It is our honour to partner with Guo Pei and with our friends at Rizzoli to publish the first grand compilation of her work as part of the SCAD Museum Book Collection. Readers will be immersed in the ethereal, magical world of Guo Pei.”
SCAD commissioned HOWL, a creative collective including three SCAD photography alumni — Jim Lind (B.F.A., photography, 2010), Patrick O’Brien (B.F.A., photography, 2010) and Elliot Ross (B.F.A., photography, 2011) — to capture Guo Pei’s designs, which the team photographed in richly styled vignettes at locations throughout the Low Country.
Supplemental studio images provide a closer examination of each garment’s ornate artistry and opulent details. A short film chronicling the alumni collaboration and the production of the book is scheduled for release in conjunction with the exhibition’s opening.
Guo Pei has been named one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” and one of The Business of Fashion’s 500 “People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry.” Her work has been covered by major international news and fashion media outlets, including Vogue, Women’s Wear Daily, The Sunday Times, Harper’s Bazaar, The New York Times, CNN and Forbes.
Learn more at scad.edu.