The Louvre Museum has achieved remarkable success with its groundbreaking fashion exhibition "Louvre Couture," which attracted over one million visitors and became the second most-attended exhibition in the museum's history. The exhibition, which ran from January 24 to August 24, 2025, drew 1.059 million visitors, making it an unprecedented triumph for the world's most visited museum.
This historic achievement places "Louvre Couture" just behind the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition of 2019-2020, which attracted 1.072 million visitors over a four-month period. The fashion exhibition's success is particularly noteworthy given that it represented the Louvre's first major exhibition dedicated entirely to fashion, demonstrating the museum's successful venture into new cultural territories.
The innovative exhibition created a unique dialogue between masterpieces from the Louvre's decorative arts department and significant pieces from contemporary fashion history spanning from the 1960s to 2025. Spread across nearly 97,000 square feet of exhibition space, the show featured approximately 100 exceptional fashion pieces and accessories on loan from 45 prestigious fashion houses and renowned designers.
Among the participating designers were fashion luminaries including Hubert de Givenchy, Marine Serre, Thom Browne, Alexander McQueen, Karl Lagerfeld, and John Galliano. One of the exhibition's highlights was a stunning dress created by John Galliano for Dior in 2005, which exemplified the sophisticated craftsmanship and artistic vision that defined the show. These contemporary fashion pieces were thoughtfully curated to echo and complement the history of decorative arts, various artistic styles, traditional craftsmanship, and ornamental design found in the Louvre's permanent collection.
The exhibition's concept of making fashion and art "dialogue" proved to be a winning formula that resonated strongly with audiences. This curatorial approach allowed visitors to see connections between historical artistic traditions and modern fashion innovation, creating what organizers described as a chemistry that truly "took off" with the public.
According to Laurence Des Cars, the Louvre's president-director, the exhibition aligns with the museum's broader ambition to attract "new generations of visitors who have different cultural references." This strategic approach reflects the Louvre's recognition that contemporary cultural expressions like high fashion can serve as bridges to engage younger audiences with the museum's classical collections.
The success of "Louvre Couture" demonstrates the growing intersection between high fashion and fine art, as well as the public's appetite for exhibitions that blur traditional boundaries between different forms of cultural expression. The exhibition's ability to draw such massive crowds also highlights fashion's legitimate place within the broader context of artistic and cultural history, validating the Louvre's decision to embrace this new direction in its programming.
