July 25, 2017
Guo Pei making adjustments during Paris Couture Week fall/winter 2017 in July. Image credit: Guo Pei
Chinese couturière Guo Pei will be the subject of her first solo museum exhibition in the United States at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in September.
Ms. Pei is well-known in Asia, but did not yield U.S. recognition until singer Rihanna wore a imperial yellow cape by the designer during the 2015 Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala. The red carpet occasion has been a seminal moment for Ms. Pei and worked to introduced her couture designs to U.S. consumers.
Growing global reach
The Guo Pei retrospective will open Sept. 7 at the SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film.
Ms. Pei’s designs bring together contemporary fashion with ancient tradition, with intricate craftsmanship and avant-garde silhouettes. History and mythology are often sources of inspiration for Ms. Pei’s fashion.
In January 2016, Ms. Pei presented for the first time during Paris Fashion Week.
During Ms. Pei's presentation for July's Paris Couture Week, models walked the runway wearing Chopard jewelry.
At SCAD, the exhibition will display more than 30 of Ms. Pei’s most-exquisite gowns, footwear and accessories. The cape worn by Rihanna will also be on display.
To celebrate Ms. Pei’s first U.S. dedicated retrospective, SCAD alumni have produced a book, the first focused solely on Ms. Pei. The tome will include new and archival images of her work as well as offer insights into her career and significance as an artist.
“International superstar fashion artist Guo Pei is in a league of her own, as is SCAD, the preeminent source of knowledge in the disciplines we teach,” said Paula Wallace, president and founder of SCAD, in a statement.
“It is our honor to partner with Guo Pei and with our friends at Rizzoli to publish the first grand complication of her work as part of the SCAD Museum Book Collection,” she said. “Readers will become immersed in the ethereal, magical world of Guo Pei and the wonders she creates.”
The book will be published by Skira Rizzoli and will be released in December.
A second, concise exhibition of Ms. Pei’s work will open in October at the Pei Ling Chan Gallery in Savannah, GA. SCAD’s museum exhibition will wrap March 4.
Museum exhibitions often help brands spur awareness and educate consumers.
For example, Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe opened up centuries of timekeeping history to a New York audience.
For 11 days, “The Art of Watches, Grand Exhibition New York 2017” was staged at restaurant Cipriani’s 42nd Street location, offering a chance for visitors to experience the brand’s 178-year watchmaking heritage. For those who cannot manage a trip to Geneva, the exhibit was designed to closely replicate the experience of touring its headquarters, salon and museum (see story).
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