Viewing Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion at Barbican

The Barbican’s show of the season is Dirty Looks, newly opened at the centre’s art gallery, an exploration of rebellion against conventional beauty ideals celebrating the “dirty side” of fashion in ruined frocks and stained jeans.

Dirty Looks is underpinned by an ecological connection – the introduction of dirt, debris and decay into clothing styles over the eras not only defies conventions but, as it is reborn in the work of young designers, proffers a new way of thinking about sustainability in fashion now and in the near future.

Works by the likes of Hussein Chalayan, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Miguel Adrover and Maison Margiela, appear alongside emerging designers such as Elena Velez, Yuima Nakazato and IAMISIGO.