Featured image: May Farooq

Fashion history doesn’t sit still, and neither does the runway.

Hosted at Aviva Studios in Manchester, VOGUE: Inventing the Runway proved to be an ambitious and visually stimulating immersive documentary experience, narrated by actress Cate Blanchett and co-created by Vogue’s Global Editorial Director, Anna Wintour. Staged in late December through early January, the exhibition explored the dynamic evolution of the runway and its transformation into a cultural stage, acting as an extension of a brand.

The exhibition opened with the inception of the runway, when collections were staged in private showrooms and homes, exclusive to the elites of society. Coco Chanel famously watched her shows in her apartment at 31 Rue Cambon, a detail that emphasises the intimacy of early runways. It’s a quiet beginning – one that makes the scale of what follows even more dramatic. 

That sense of escalation is one of the exhibition’s greatest strengths. Soundtracked by a lively rhythm, the documentary centred on the likes of John Galliano and Karl Lagerfeld, framed as true architects of the ‘spectacle’. Projections of Galliano’s Dior 1998 Haute Couture Collection resurrected an early-twentieth-century ballroom to life, before viewers were orbited into Lagerfeld’s Chanel Autumn/Winter 2017 show at the Grand Palais in Paris, complete with the iconic rocket launch finale. These sequences land with impact, underlining how these designers, both renowned for their theatrical designs and dramatic storytelling, proved that the runway could be as memorable as the clothes themselves. 

But not every designer played by the same rules. In one of the more politically charged sections, figures like the ‘mother of punk’ Vivienne Westwood, and Demna Gvasalia appear as deliberate rule-breakers, using their runways as means for political expression. Their shows challenged who fashion was really for, and what it was allowed to say. To many, the runway manifests as a site of rebellion, to which the documentary rightly describes these designers as its ‘disruptors’. 

Technology, unsurprisingly, takes centre stage in another standout chapter, with the exhibition unpacking its role on altering the runway. One of the documentary’s most compelling moments revisits the first live-streamed runway show by Alexander McQueen in 2009, featuring Lady Gaga – an event so anticipated it famously crashed the internet. Compared to today’s fashion landscape, where almost every show is instantly accessible to a global audience, the contrast is evident. Technology has transformed the runway into a shared experience, opening fashion up to audiences far beyond the front row. 

Inventing the Runway also turned its attention to Black creatives who have contributed to the diversification of the runway we see today. From Virgil Abloh’s era-defining work at Louis Vuitton and Off-White to Pharrell Williams’ current creative direction, alongside the legacy of Patrick Kelly, the documentary celebrates their contributions to transforming the runway into a platform for both cultural reclamation and visibility. Their impact continues to reshape contemporary fashion and how it is seen and understood. 

Wintour stated: “This Lightroom experience is a wonderful opportunity for a lot more people to experience first hand the thrill of watching the history of fashion unfold right ” and by the time the final sequence faded, it was difficult to disagree. While watching the thirty-minute show, it became clear more so than ever, that the runway is a living archive of culture, creativity and identity. Vogue: Inventing the Runway doesn’t just document fashion’s past but it reminds us all why it matters in the first place. It succeeded in turning decades of fashion history into something so visceral, reigniting a love for fashion. 

Beyond the celebration of runway history, Inventing the Runway also felt like a statement about Manchester itself. Following Chanel’s 2023 Métiers d’Art show, the documentary adds to a growing list of high-profile fashion moments staged in the city, signalling its increasing cultural weight. For a place long associated with football and music, Manchester’s presence in the fashion industry is quietly expanding. It’s an upcoming fashion destination and one of which is certainly capable of attracting global brands and exhibitions.