The Swarovski ‘Masters Of Light’ Exhibition Gathers Rare Archival Looks From The Runway, Stage And Red Carpet
From John Galliano at Christian Dior to Harry Styles' Grammys jumpsuit, this Swarovski exhibition is a fashionphile's dream come true.
By Brandon Chia - published
Swarovski has officially taken over the Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai to premiere the brand’s first major exhibition: Masters of Light. The exhibition comprehensively highlights the brand's rich heritage as a cutting-edge pioneer in the fields of jewellery, fashion and culture.
A labyrinth awaited us as we entered the museum, splitting the exhibition space into seven different chambers with an assortment of wonders to discover.
Our journey through Swarovski's time and space began with a winding display detailing the origins of the brand. Starting with founder Daniel Swarovski’s revolutionary crystal-cutting machine, followed by pop-culture artefacts such as Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, jewellery that graced Marilyn Monroe’s presence in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and the first dress ever made with Swarovski crystals lining the remaining walls, the first part of the exhibition weaves the brand’s significant history and its savoir-faire; while teasing the bigger and brilliant sections to come.
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Our jaws truly dropped as we entered the Time Chamber, which houses an impressive array of 60 outfits from legendary designers such as Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, John Galliano for Christian Dior, Tom Ford for Gucci, Thierry Mugler, Vivienne Westwood and many more throughout Swarovski's century-long existence, all of which feature the brand's crystals front and centre or, in some cases, all around the couture.
Costuming is also right in Swarovski’s wheelhouse. The intricately crafted heritage headgear, corsets and body jewellery from runway shows, stage performances and music videos made the perfect introduction to the Masters of Light chamber, where the brand’s largest crystal chaton is housed.
We then wandered into the Jewellery Box chamber, where hundreds of dazzling jewels and figurines from current and past collections are arranged by colour, making it a magnificent photo opportunity for the ‘gram.
As we made our way down to the final area of Masters of Light, we were reminded of how Swarovski has evolved over the decades and remained in the limelight despite the rapidly changing landscape of the modern world.
This sentiment became undeniably obvious with the thoughtful curation of viral red carpet moments such as Doja Cat’s hot red ensemble for Paris Couture Fashion Week, Katy Perry’s chandelier MET Gala look and Harry Styles’ rainbow jumpsuit for the 2023 Grammys, among many others.
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Contemporary artist Tian Xiaolei from Beijing was also commissioned to create digital installations that reflect the iconography of Swarovski in various facets and in the brand’s signature colour palette.
Closing the exhibition is the Diamonds of the Future chamber, showcasing the brand’s environmentally conscious, lab-grown diamonds that are as dazzling as their natural counterparts.
The new “Galaxy” fine jewellery collection designed by Global Creative Director Giovanna Engelbert is a shining example. While the local release date for these gems remains a mystery, they are something worth keeping an eye out for in the near future.
“Our lab-grown diamonds are made using an innovative process that replicates nature, resulting in a stone that is indistinguishable from a mined diamond in all chemical, physical, and optical attributes,” said Engelbert.
The Swarovski Masters of Light exhibition will run till 9 October 2023 at the MoCA but jewellery and fashion fans need not fret as the exhibition is planned to travel around the world in due time.