JA Projects designs major V&A exhibition

JA Projects are leading an interdisciplinary team to design Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear, the first major V&A exhibition to celebrate the power, artistry and diversity of masculine attire and appearance.

At a moment of unprecedented creativity in men’s fashion and reflection on gender, Fashioning Masculinities explores how designers, tailors and artists – and their clients and sitters – have constructed and performed masculinity, and unpicked it at the seams. The show will present around 100 looks and 100 artworks ranging from classical sculptures, Renaissance paintings, iconic photographs, and powerful film and performance. Contemporary looks by legendary designers and rising stars will be displayed alongside historical treasures from the V&A’s collections and landmark loans.

The exhibition will open with a Craig Green SS2021 ensemble of a deconstructed suit, alluding to the construction and deconstruction of both the masculine body and conventions of masculinity, a theme that will be central throughout the show. The three main galleries – Undressed, Overdressed, and Redressed – will follow, with the exhibition design by JA Projects with graphic design by Studio Hugo Blanzat and lighting design by Studio ZNA. Undressed will explore the male body and underwear in a utopian dreamscape, whilst Overdressed will take visitors into the elite masculine wardrobe in a sumptuous, immersive space with courtly grandeur, featuring oversized silhouettes, abundant colour, and lavish materials. The third section, Redressed, will explore the construction and dissolution of the suit, with the exhibition design conveying the idea of an urban reawakening.

Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear will be at the V&A from 19 March – 6 November 2022

Tickets are now on sale at vam.ac.uk/masculinities

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Image:Wales Bonner Spring Summer 2015 Afrique. Photo: Dexter Lander