At the Barbican Art Gallery in London, Elena Velez's latest installation "Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion" takes a provocative approach to examining the notion of dirt in fashion. The show features 60 designers or design houses, each contributing their take on what it means to be dirty, ranging from distressed clothing to grim global consumption habits.
The exhibition opens with a striking display of clean clothes belonging to high-profile individuals, Kate Moss and Queen Elizabeth II, setting the tone for the rest of the show. However, the mise-en-scène is somewhat disappointing, with pale draped sheets serving as an unremarkable backdrop in the lower galleries. The show's title, "Dirty Looks," suggests a more intentional approach to creating a dirty or messy atmosphere, but this fails to materialize.
The exhibition then explores the concept of dirt through various mediums, including bodily fluids, distressed fabrics, and charred materials. Di Petsa's underwear with menstrual blood stains or piss-darkened denim is certainly eye-catching, while Alice Potts' biocouture that filters human sweat into a solution blossoms into crystals on a vintage discolored Madame Grès dress.
However, some designs feel more symbolic than aesthetic, particularly those exploring the burden of a wasteful industry. The show posits that designers are trying to remix discarded clothes in interesting ways, but most offerings look exactly like clothes that no one wanted, reconfigured into questionable hybrids. Maison Margiela makes an appearance with a vest of broken porcelain, which feels almost too on-the-nose.
Hussein Chalayan's work, however, stands out as poetic and innovatively ahead of the curve. His 1993 graduate collection featured garments buried for months in his friend's London backyard, relegating garments to organic matter. Twenty years later, contemporary designers like Solitude Studios' "After the Orgy" (2025) attempt to engage with similar themes but less impactfully.
Ultimately, "Dirty Looks" feels like a show that is still finding its footing, with some ideas feeling more provocative than impactful. The exhibition's title, "Dirty Looks," suggests a messy or unpolished approach, but this often gives way to a more refined aesthetic. Nevertheless, the show remains thought-provoking and visually striking, encouraging viewers to think about the role of dirt in fashion and its relationship with our values as consumers.
As we leave the exhibition, the perfect exit music plays: Christina Aguilera's "Dirrty." It's a fitting conclusion to an installation that is both dirty and polished, messy and refined.
The exhibition opens with a striking display of clean clothes belonging to high-profile individuals, Kate Moss and Queen Elizabeth II, setting the tone for the rest of the show. However, the mise-en-scène is somewhat disappointing, with pale draped sheets serving as an unremarkable backdrop in the lower galleries. The show's title, "Dirty Looks," suggests a more intentional approach to creating a dirty or messy atmosphere, but this fails to materialize.
The exhibition then explores the concept of dirt through various mediums, including bodily fluids, distressed fabrics, and charred materials. Di Petsa's underwear with menstrual blood stains or piss-darkened denim is certainly eye-catching, while Alice Potts' biocouture that filters human sweat into a solution blossoms into crystals on a vintage discolored Madame Grès dress.
However, some designs feel more symbolic than aesthetic, particularly those exploring the burden of a wasteful industry. The show posits that designers are trying to remix discarded clothes in interesting ways, but most offerings look exactly like clothes that no one wanted, reconfigured into questionable hybrids. Maison Margiela makes an appearance with a vest of broken porcelain, which feels almost too on-the-nose.
Hussein Chalayan's work, however, stands out as poetic and innovatively ahead of the curve. His 1993 graduate collection featured garments buried for months in his friend's London backyard, relegating garments to organic matter. Twenty years later, contemporary designers like Solitude Studios' "After the Orgy" (2025) attempt to engage with similar themes but less impactfully.
Ultimately, "Dirty Looks" feels like a show that is still finding its footing, with some ideas feeling more provocative than impactful. The exhibition's title, "Dirty Looks," suggests a messy or unpolished approach, but this often gives way to a more refined aesthetic. Nevertheless, the show remains thought-provoking and visually striking, encouraging viewers to think about the role of dirt in fashion and its relationship with our values as consumers.
As we leave the exhibition, the perfect exit music plays: Christina Aguilera's "Dirrty." It's a fitting conclusion to an installation that is both dirty and polished, messy and refined.
. I mean, it just feels like a lazy attempt to shock people. And what's with all the gross bodily fluids and charred materials? It's just not that interesting. The only thing that stood out was Hussein Chalayan's old collection, but even that felt kinda obvious now 20 years later. Like, come on designers, can't you do better than rehashing someone else's ideas? And don't even get me started on the whole "remixing discarded clothes" vibe... it just feels like they're trying too hard to be edgy and cool 
.
... I mean, it's like they took all the grimy bits of our society, like fast fashion waste and environmental degradation, and put them on full display - and honestly, it's kinda intense. But what really got me was how some designs felt so... on-the-nose? Like, yeah, we get it, designers are trying to tackle sustainability, but can't we just make it more interesting? 
. They're tryin' to tackle this whole concept of dirt in fashion, but it feels like they're still findin' their footing 
, and then the next minute you've got bodily fluids and charred materials and it's like, what's goin' on? 
. Like, I get it, fashion is a big contributor to waste and pollution, but sometimes you just wanna see somethin' visually stunning, ya know? 
. And then you see these other designers tryin' to tap into that same vibe, but they're not quite gettin' there 
.
. Maybe I'll give 'em another shot in the future 
like di petsa's underwear with menstrual blood stains is SO cool 
and alice potts' biocouture that filters human sweat into a solution blossoms into crystals on a vintage discolored madame grès dress is, like, whoa 
. overall its a decent show but i'm not sure if it really delivers on what it promises to be 
. It's like we want to consume without consequence, but at the same time, we crave authenticity and uniqueness. The show showed us that dirt in fashion can be a powerful tool for change, but it's up to us as consumers to decide what that means and how we want to engage with it 
. So, I guess what I'm saying is that 'Dirty Looks' might not have fully achieved its provocative potential, but it still left me thinking about the messy beauty of imperfection 
.
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. Di Petsa's underwear with menstrual blood stains or piss-darkened denim is seriously eye-catching 
. But at the same time, it feels like a lot of the other designers are just going through the motions, reconfiguring old clothes into new hybrids without adding much depth or insight to the conversation 
.
. I mean, I get it, the theme of waste and decay is important, but do we really need to be hit over the head with it? 
. He was one of the first designers to explore this kind of theme back in 1993, and his approach feels so much more poetic and innovative than anything else I saw on display 
.
. And hey, at least the exit music was on point 
.
. But for real, some of those designs were straight fire 
, especially the ones that incorporated bodily fluids and charred materials. That's definitely not something you see every day 
. It's like he's taking this idea of decay and turning it into something beautiful.
.
And I got what you did there with Christina Aguilera's "Dirrty" as the exit music... that was a nice touch 
also, hussein chalayan's work is still fire after all these years 
and that alice potts' biocouture idea is so genius! 
it was like wow how messed up is that? 
I don't get why they couldn't just go all in on the dirty looks vibe? 
.
Even if it means making some questionable hybrids... 
Anyway, I think this exhibition is worth checking out, even if it doesn't totally hit the mark. The vibe is still super cool and thought-provoking! 
. I get it, it's supposed to be thought-provoking, but for me, it's more like "eww" than "aha".
. I just wish they'd taken the time to really refine their ideas before showcasing them to the world.
!