Much has been written and said about Coco Chanel, but it is rare to see up close the inspiration and ideas that steered the couturier through her career, or get an insight into Karl Lagerfeld's dialogue with his predecessor. The recent Culture Chanel exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai offered a glimpse into Chanel's universe: her designs, iconic pieces, and her literary and artistic inspirations.
This exhibition highlighted a growing trend among the big players in fashion to throw open the archives and use their heirlooms to communicate the essence of their brands to the modern customer.
Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton and Hermes are such labels with a rich heritage of craftsmanship that is carefully protected and nurtured.
Salvatore Ferragamo opened a museum in Florence in 1995 featuring the history of the brand's founder and his creations. It expanded in 2006 and began tours of parts of its archive, such as shoes Ferragamo designed for Hollywood movie icons of the 1930s and 40s, including Greta Garbo and Judy Garland.
People are fascinated by the clothes worn by the stars, but also, in an age of automation and mass production, the luxury and pure craftsmanship of a shoe or a handbag made by hand. The success of the Ferragamo museum, which is one of the few open to the public, echoes the popularity of fashion exhibitions hosted by museums such as New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art (which will hold an Alexander McQueen retrospective this summer) and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, where fashion is one of the biggest crowd-pullers.
Last year, the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective at the Petit Palais in Paris introduced his work to a younger generation.