Immersive Fashion: Vogue Exhibition And Conversation with Pierpaolo Piccioli

If you're in London or visiting the city in the coming weeks, it's definitely worth visiting 'Vogue: Inventing the Runway' exhibition, currently on display at Lightroom. It's a wonderful journey through fashion history and the transformation of the runway. This must-see exhibition enables us to experience fashion’s most influential moments.

Alongside the exhibition there is a series of 'Vogue Conversations', in-person talks with designers, creative directors and inspiring minds shaping the world of fashion. Our visit was enriched by an inspiring interview by Laura Ingham, Fashion Market Director at British Vogue, with Pierpaolo Piccioli, former Creative Director at Maison Valentino.

'Vogue: Inventing the Runway': An immersive experience of Fashion’s Evolution

Walking into 'Vogue: Inventing the Runway' feels like stepping into a living history of fashion. Through large-scale projections, curated archival imagery, and dynamic storytelling, the exhibition captures how the runway evolved from intimate salon presentations to the theatrical, real-time spectacles we see today. The exhibition highlights pivotal moments in fashion history, featuring designers who have shaped the industry and pushed boundaries with their creativity.

What makes this experience unique is how it delves into the artistic movements, cultural shifts and bold personalities that defined each memorable fashion era. The way the exhibition presents Vogue’s influence on the runway is immersive, inviting visitors to see fashion as both a mirror and a catalyst of societal change.

Pierpaolo Piccioli: An inspiring journey at Maison Valentino

As a complement to this visual feast, attending Vogue’s conversation with Pierpaolo Piccioli provided an intimate look into the mind of one of fashion’s most poetic creators. Piccioli, the former creative director at Maison Valentino, shared reflections on his journey and artistic inspirations.

He spoke about a selection of his most memorable shows, including his Spring/Summer 2017 ready-to-wear collection. This was his first solo show, which was deeply inspired by Dutch Renaissance painter Hieronymus Bosch and the British designer Zandra Rhodes. The unexpected fusion of Renaissance humanism and punk rebellion was a defining moment in his creative evolution. As he described it, his work is about “the clash between different thoughts” that creates something entirely new.

A striking theme in his conversation was his rejection of nostalgia. Instead, Piccioli believes in acknowledging the past while fully immersing in the present. His collaboration with Zandra Rhodes, for example, was not about reviving past aesthetics but about reinterpreting them in a way that speaks to today’s world. One of the most symbolic prints from that collection, a transformation of fish into swallows, reflected themes of rebirth and metamorphosis, a metaphor for his own creative journey.

Fashion as a Reflection of Identity and Change

Piccioli’s insights resonated with the exhibition’s core message: fashion is more than clothing; it is an evolving reflection of identity, culture and human emotion. As he beautifully articulated, when we take a picture of something, we also find ourselves in it. Fashion, like photography, is a lens through which we project our thoughts, memories and aspirations.

Visiting 'Vogue: Inventing the Runway' alongside Piccioli’s conversation reinforced the idea that fashion is a powerful, living art form. It is both deeply personal and universally impactful: a space where the past meets the future in unexpected ways.

For those who appreciate fashion as an intersection of history, art and self-expression, this exhibition is not to be missed. And for those who dream of creating the future of fashion, Piccioli’s words serve as a reminder that reinvention and authenticity are at the heart of true artistry.