31 October 2015- 3 April 2016
Mint Museum Uptown
at the Levine Center for the Arts
VIVO MOSCHINO! is the first Franco Moschino retrospective in America! Known for relentlessly mocking the fashion system while at the same time profiting from it, Franco Moschino used fashion as a platform for theatrical presentations filled with humor, irony, and surrealism. Drawn largely from a private collection in Chicago, the exhibition will focus on Moschino's fashion designs from the 1980's to 1994. Approximately forty iconic ensembles will be featured, the majority from the Cheap & Chic line, with additional couture works and handbags. An illustrated catalogue will accompany the exhibition.
Moschino once declared, "I'm not a fashion designer. I'm a painter, a decorator." Although he was well-known for the use of ironic and thought-provoking phrases in his designs, such as embroidering "Waist of Money" on a jacket in place of a belt, he was also a master tailor. He was sometimes accused of being a rebel without a cause, but Moschino often used his ads to campaign for social issues including drugs, violence, cruelty to animals, and advocacy for environmentalism in fashion production. In 1991, Moschino deemed fashion shows passé and abandoned them in favor of private presentations. Prior to this decision, Moschino produced outrageous shows, memorably leaving tomatoes and flowers on editors' chairs so they could express their displeasure or happiness with his collection. In Moschino's final collection, labeled "Nature Friendly Garment," the designer introduced an Ecocouture line made with environmentally responsible materials. Franco Moschino died on 18 September 1994 due to complications from AIDS. In remembrance of the designer's social consciousness, a portion of Moschino profits now fund the Moschino Foundations, a charity founded to assist HIV-positive children. The Moschino brand has enjoyed a resurgence in the 21st century and a popularity with patrons as diverse as Kylie Minogue to Michelle Obama. (adapted from the exhibition profile by Annie Carlano)
Additional Information
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Created by Caitlin Larson, Mint Museum Library Volunteer
