Immersive Vogue show charts the history of the catwalk

From the intimate couture salons of the early 20th century to the spectacles of the present, a new exhibition will delve into the history of the catwalk.

Vogue: Inventing the Runway will premiere at London’s Lightroom in Lewis Cubitt Square, Kings Cross, on November 13.

Anchored by Vogue’s remarkable archive dating back to 1892, the show will bring together the industry’s leading voices from the past, present, and future.

Anna Wintour, chief content officer, condé nast, and global editorial director of Vogue said: “At Vogue we’ve been lucky enough over the decades to see many incredible runway shows, which have often told the story of fashion as much as the clothes themselves.

“This Lightroom experience is a wonderful opportunity for a lot more people to experience first-hand the thrill of watching the history of fashion unfold right in front of them.”

The list of houses and designers signed up to be involved includes big luxury names such as Gucci, Balenciaga, Versace, Burberry, Chanel, Christian Dior, Givenchy and Prada, as well as younger names such as the cult British designer Martine Rose and the French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus.

With Lightroom’s four-storey walls forming a 360-degree canvas, Inventing the Runway will use original animation with immersive sound design and a score fusing original composition with classical and pop music, all of which will evoke the worlds when iconic shows shifted the cultural landscape.

Vogue creative editorial director Mark Guiducci said: “Runway shows have reflected society and its values for more than a century. 

“We hope that Inventing the Runway gives audiences a better understanding of how those shows mirror the changes not only in fashion, but also culture at large—the arts, entertainment, technology, politics, and the ways that they’re all intertwined.”

With first-hand testimony and mixed media, Inventing the Runway reveals how fashion shows became the ultimate statement of a designer’s vision. 

First envisioned as a way of seeing clothes in motion at the convergence of modernism, catwalks are now global events fusing art, technology and celebrity. 

Inventing the Runway will bring viewers inside the runway shows – on the front row and behind the scenes – transporting audiences through locations and eras. 

Chioma Nnadi, Head of Editorial Content for British Vogue, said: “It’s fitting to host this Lightroom experience within skipping distance of Central Saint Martins, where so many of the UK’s fashion students begin their journeys to becoming designers we know and love.”

Tickets are from £25 for adults and from £15 for children and students.

Discounted tickets are available for families. Additionally, a £10 schools’ ticket is available and a Universal Credit Recipient Offer of £5 per ticket can be booked directly through the ticketing team on tickets@lightroom.uk, details of which can also be found on the website.

Pictured top: CHANEL Spring-Summer 2015 Haute Couture show (Picture: Lightroom)