The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced the details of its 2017 Costume Institute Exhibition and Gala,and Apple will again sponsor the event. This makes the second year in a row that the Cupertino firm has sponsored the event. The proceeds from the event will go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute.
The exhibit will feature about 120 Comme des Garçons womenswear designs by Kawakubo, dating back to the label’s first runway collection in 1981, all the way to her most recent shows. The pieces will be arranged by contrasting themes (East/West, male/female, past/present), which touch upon Kawakubo’s fascination with “in-betweenness.” The mannequins featuring Kawakubo’s designs will also be more accessible than ever, as they will be placed at eye-level without any glass or other physical barriers between them and the viewer.
While Apple will sponsor the event, no one from the firm will co-chair the event. The May 1, 2017 event will focus on fashion designer Comme des Garçons’s Rei Kawakubo, who is co-chairing the event, alongside: Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams, and Vogue editor Anna Wintour. Last year, Apple Design Chief Jony Ive co-chaired alongside Taylor Swift and Idris Elba.
Apple’s involvement in the event is part of its continuing flirtation with the fashion industry, as it continues to promote its Apple Watch as a fashion accessory. The company’s retail head, Angela Ahrendts, was formerly CEO of British fashion house Burberry, and under her, Apple Stores, and some of their products, have begun to take on a more fashion-oriented motif.
