Barbican Exhibition 'Dirty Looks' Explores Fashion's Embrace of Imperfection and Subversion

The Barbican in London is presenting 'Dirty Looks,' a fashion exhibition curated by Karen Van Godtsenhoven and Jon Astbury that examines how designers have incorporated dirt, decay, and bodily traces into clothing as expressions of authenticity and rebellion. The show features garments from the 1980s through the mid-2000s to the present, including works by Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexander McQueen, Rei Kawakubo, Hussein Chalayan, Martin Margiela, and contemporary designers like Paolo Carzana, Bobby Kolade, and Ivan Hunga Garcia. It highlights how fashion has co-opted subcultural styles while questioning the industry's commercial and appropriative tendencies. The exhibition also connects experimental design with sustainability concerns, noting the challenge of scaling meaningful innovation.