As part of the array of events accompanying Vitra Design Museum’s exhibition “Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show,” renowned fashion historian Caroline Evans presents this talk about the history of the fashion show from around 1900 to the present day. Fashion shows have become huge media spectacles. Above and beyond presenting clothes, they engage with the human form and debunk cultural myths – society events with a social message.

A leading expert in the field of fashion history, Caroline Evans is Professor Emerita at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Her key works include Women and Fashion (1989), Fashion at the Edge (2003), The Mechanical Smile (2013), and Time in Fashion (2020). She has lectured at design schools and universities all around the world and has acted as a consultant for international museums ranging from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Museum of London to the MoMu Fashion Museum in Antwerp and the Palais Galliera in Paris.