Singapore fashion designer Andrew Gn’s exhibition to show in US’ Peabody Essex Museum

SINGAPORE – Nearly 100 works by Singapore’s most renowned fashion designer Andrew Gn will be on show at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, in the US.

The exhibition, a collaboration between PEM and the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM), runs from Sept 13 to Feb 16. It is the first retrospective of any Singaporean designer to show overseas and is inspired by ACM’s landmark curation of Gn’s close to 30-year oeuvre in 2023, titled Andrew Gn: Fashioning Singapore And The World.

Gn, 59, dressed Hollywood actresses such as Emma Stone and Lily Collins, as well as royalty like Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Jordan’s Queen Rania, before he retired his Paris-based label in late 2023 to focus on art.

He was also the first Asian creative director of French luxury brand Balmain.

On its website, PEM said its 10,000 sq ft exhibition, Andrew Gn: Fashioning The World, features clothing, accessories, original illustrations and digital media by Gn. Eleven works are loaned from ACM’s National Collection.

Dresses, Gn’s speciality, have been plucked from his prodigious archive of some 10,000 pieces. He has produced over 80 collections since founding his Paris atelier in 1995.

“PEM is thrilled to bring this stunning exhibition to our audience, in part because Andrew Gn’s designs reflect the ongoing cross-cultural conversation that’s been taking place at PEM for more than 200 years,” said PEM’s director of curatorial affairs Petra Slinkard in a statement. 

The arts and culture museum, founded in 1799, is thought to hold the world’s largest collection of Asian export art – works made by Asian artists for non-Asian markets – some of which it has loaned to ACM, and vice versa.

This trans-pacific relationship is more than a decade old, born of the two museums’ shared interest in port cities and cross-cultural art, said ACM director Clement Onn.

Added Ms Slinkard: “Echoing both Salem and Singapore’s histories as culturally rich port cities, Gn’s works display a convergence of Asian and Western influences, and feature reinterpretations of Asian cultures, including Chinese, Indian, Malay and Indonesian culture and his Peranakan heritage.”

Gn, who lives in Paris, has boiled down the spirit of his clothes to “European chic, American comfort (and) Chinese depth”.

A silk evening gown from a 2021 House of Andrew Gn collection is a standout.

The colours and print draw from the design of Chinese lacquer screens, which were coveted luxury items in the West. Depictions of Chinese idylls common to the glossy panels were later adapted by European artists into Chinoiserie work, a fragment of one becoming Gn’s primary inspiration for the dress, PEM said.

The show in the American coastal town best known for its 17th-century witch trials is divided into themed sections. These highlight Gn’s cross-cultural streak – a product of his blended heritage and time abroad – and give visitors a glimpse into his studio, philosophy and unique approach to design thinking.

It also charts the course of Gn’s career, introducing his influences to visitors less familiar with his detailed, maximalist language.

He has pledged to donate some 90 works from his archive to PEM, a point of difference from ACM’s earlier show, fashion media outlet WWD reported.

While ACM’s homecoming presentation focused on celebrating “an extraordinary Singaporean life and his major contributions to the nation”, PEM will celebrate Gn’s unique and impactful career, Ms Slinkard told WWD.

The youngest of six children, Gn was born in 1966 and lived in Hougang.

He left Singapore in 1987 to study fashion, first at London’s Central Saint Martins, then at Domus Academy in Milan. In his first job, he was assistant to French fashion designer Emanuel Ungaro in Paris.

With a loan from his father, Gn established his own label in 1995. By 2000, his work had been picked up by legendary Parisian boutique Colette, now closed.

The boost got his East-meets-West designs into virtually every major department store in the world: Harrods, Barneys, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman.

Said Mr Onn: “Our goal is to spark conversation about the power of design in our lives and inspire a new generation of creatives to dream big and forge their own path.”

Correction note: The spelling of ACM director Clement Onn’s last name has been updated in this version of the story.