Up close with Viktor & Rolf at the Barbican

I can still remember the first time I fell in love with design duo Viktor & Rolf. It was in 2001, when I was working at Kokon To Zai in London.

I was sorting through the new arrivals for autumn and there it was — the most amazing, not-so-basic black button-down shirt I had ever seen.

It had pleated ruffles cut at angles — one of those pieces which, once you put it on, you could no longer take it off. It was love.

So when I was planning my trip to London this year, I made sure that I would catch the Viktor & Rolf retrospective at the Barbican. 

I literally got off the plane, dropped my bags and went straight to the Barbican to queue for tickets to listen to a talk by the dynamic duo Viktor & Rolf.

The retrospective showcased all the signature pieces and key moments in their career from 1992 to present.

In a nutshell, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren have been working together since their graduation from the Academy of Arts, Arnhem, the Netherlands in 1992. 

In January 1998, they showed their first haute couture collection, followed by four more inspirational collections that secured their reputation as a highly conceptual fashion design duo.

In March 2000 Viktor & Rolf presented their first ready-to-wear collection based on the American flag, which heralded their global aspirations. 

Soon, Viktor & Rolf became household names with their perfume, Flowerbomb, launched by L’Oréal and a sell-out collection for H&M in 2006. 

In 2005, Viktor & Rolf opened their Milan boutique with its neo-classical interior installed upside down, chairs and columns hanging from the ceiling, and fashion videos projected on the wall — upside down, of course.

Not surprising for a design duo that radiates a blend of conceptualism, elegance and humor — the same distinct traits that can be seen in their exhibition, The House of Viktor & Rolf.

Upon entering the exhibit, you are greeted with various installations of their early works: a miniature installation that represents all their ambitions — from a catwalk show with dolls, a fashion shoot, a shop with glass windows to even the launch of a fake perfume with an ad campaign and press release — all in preparation for the most amazing part of the exhibition, the dollhouse containing 55 dolls decked out in perfect miniature scaled-down Viktor & Rolf creations. 

The dollhouse is a massive structure, built with stairs and spectacles for those who want to see the traditionally made porcelain dolls up close. Each of the dolls was made specifically for the exhibition, with hairstyles and faces to mimic the models that actually wore them at the shows.

As if the dollhouse and the miniature dolls weren’t enough, there were life-size versions of the dolls, scaled up from the original small dolls — three mannequin/dolls per collection with the video of the corresponding show projected behind them.

Highlights include haute couture pieces from Atomic Bomb (1998–99) featuring dramatic mushroom cloud-like cushioned necklines and Russian Doll (1999–2000) in which a single model was painstakingly dressed by the designers themselves in front of an audience in 10 independent layers.

In the boudoir-themed show Bedtime Story (2005–06) the dreamy atmosphere was created by garments abundant with broderie Anglaise, quilting and ruffles. My favorite collection though would have to be the Flowerbomb collection — a visual flurry of pink and bows, two of my favorite things.

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The House of Viktor and Rolf is currently on tour and can now be viewed at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, the Netherlands until February 8, 2009. All of the dolls are for sale — 30,000 euros for the small ones and 60,000 for the large ones.