‘Art X Fashion’ opens at MFIT: exploring the intersection of fashion and fine art

Left: YVES SAINT LAURENT, dress, off-white, black and red wool jersey, fall 1965, France, gift of IGOR KAMLUKIN from the ESTATE OF VALENTINA SCHLEE, 95.180.1. Courtesy of THE MUSEUM AT FIT; Right: THE CAMPBELL’S COMPANY, The Souper Dress, 1966–1967, USA. Courtesy of THE MUSEUM AT FIT

The Museum at FIT (MFIT) today opens Art X Fashion, a major exhibition running from February 18th to April 19th, 2026, that delves into the rich dialogue between fashion and fine art. By presenting over 140 objects—including garments, accessories, textiles, photographs, and original artworks—Art X Fashion invites visitors to confront one of fashion’s most enduring questions: Is fashion art?

Is fashion art? Questioning creativity and cultural impact

At the heart of Art X Fashion lies the debate over whether fashion can be considered a form of art. Curator Dr. Elizabeth Way notes that while consensus may be elusive, fashion’s innovation, craftsmanship, and cultural resonance argue strongly in its favor. Historical and contemporary designers—from Martin Margiela, Rei Kawakubo, and Iris van Herpen to Charles Frederick Worth, Paul Poiret, and Elsa Schiaparelli—illustrate fashion’s ability to combine technical mastery with artistic vision. Cultural milestones such as Dior’s New Look and the punk movement of the 1970s highlight fashion’s profound societal impact, demonstrating that clothing is never purely functional, but a potent creative expression.

Fashion and fine art: dialogue across centuries

Art X Fashion explores the reciprocal relationship between fashion and fine art, revealing moments when the two disciplines have influenced each other. Visitors encounter the works of Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, and Sonia Delaunay alongside designers like Scott Barrie, Hussein Chalayan, Fabrice Simon, and Ralph Rucci, who all draw inspiration from artistic practice. Contemporary creators such as Cat Chow, Mary Ping, and Tavares Strachan further blur the boundaries, showing that modern fashion operates in an ongoing conversation with visual art. Historical flâneurs, depicted by artists like Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Gustave Caillebotte, illustrate how clothing was used to express modernity and identity, reinforcing the exhibition’s theme of interdependence between fashion and cultural observation.

Highlights from the exhibition

Among the exhibition’s more than 140 pieces are garments that reinterpret fine art, including Yves Saint Laurent’s Mondrian-inspired dresses, Eric Gaskins’ trompe-l’œil beadwork, and Christian Francis Roth’s Fauvist-inspired patterns. Iconic collaborations between artists and designers—such as Louis Vuitton with Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama, Isabel and Ruben Toledo, and Thebe Magugu with Phathu Nembilwi—demonstrate fashion’s capacity to act as both canvas and commentary. Through these works, Art X Fashion underscores the mutual influence of fashion and art, from the Rococo and Neoclassical eras to Surrealism, Pop Art, and postmodernism.