Memphis Brooks Museum opens exhibit by celebrity fashion designer Christian Siriano - Memphis Business Journal
With construction on its new Downtown location well underway, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art opens an exhibit featuring 34 looks designed by Christian Siriano and worn by celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Michelle Obama, and Billy Porter. The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art has opened its newest exhibit, "Christian Siriano: People are People," which will run until August 4. The exhibit was organized by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta and features 34 looks worn by Siriano by celebrities including Celine Dion, Michelle Obama, Billy Porter, Lady Gaga, Janelle Monae, and Taylor Swift. The Brooks Museum features an interactive portion called "Atelier to Runway," which allows visitors to create their own designs and display them on a runway. The museum's next exhibition, "Andrea Morales: Roll Down Like Water," begins in September and runs until 2025. The next year, the museum is expected to open its new $100 million home in Downtown Memphis.
Published : 2 months ago by Wendy Guzmán in Entertainment Business Lifestyle
The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art opened its newest exhibit, "Christian Siriano: People are People," on March 22.
The exhibit, which runs through Aug. 4, was organized by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta and chronicles work by American celebrity fashion designer Christian Siriano.
It features 34 looks worn by his celebrity clients, including the likes of Celine Dion, Michelle Obama, Billy Porter, Lady Gaga, Janelle Monae, and Taylor Swift. The celebrity outfits brought to Memphis for the exhibit were sponsored by local individuals and families.
The exhibit is sponsored by Memphis-based archmainia and Grinder, Taber & Grinder and underwritten by Brooks' Exhibition Fund. The Brooks Museum is one of the largest tourist attractions in the area, according to MBJ research, with more than 123,000 visitors in 2022.
The Brooks exhibit features an interactive portion called “Atelier to Runway,” which is unique to Memphis. This allows visitors to sketch and create their own designs, then display them or other ready-to-wear looks on a runway.
“At its core, what this show does — and what [Siriano's] work really does — is approach inclusivity at every angle,” said Patricia Daigle, curator of modern and contemporary art at the Brooks.
Siriano has been praised for catering his designs to any size, shape, gender, and age at all price points, since the start of his career in 2008.
The award-winning designer launched his fashion house 15 years ago. His work has been featured in many exhibits, but People are People is hit first solo display. Siriano started his career as the youngest winner of the hit Bravo show “Project Runway” when he was 21, and he later became a mentor on the show.
“His main success is being able to reach such a broad audience so successfully. I think a lot of people have tried, but he's really kind of nailed it,” Daigle said.
The Brooks Museum’s next exhibition, "Andrea Morales: Roll Down Like Water," begins in September and runs into 2025.
Also next year, the museum expects to open its new $100 million 122,000-square-foot home in Downtown Memphis. The project is being designed by Switzerland and New York-based Herzog & de Meuron and archimania.
With that move, the organization plans to rebrand as the Memphis Art Museum.
A group of current and former AutoZone employees recently donated nearly $10 million, in honor of company founder Pitt Hyde, to the Brooks. The donation was one of the largest gifts in the museum’s capital campaign, which is devoted to the construction of the new museum on the riverfront.
Topics: Fashion, Style