Tramps, Past, Present & Couture, SHOWstudio (Christian Dior, Couture Fall/Winter 2001-02), 2001.

Natalia V, SHOWstudio/Russian Vogue, 2008.

Naomi Campbell, 3D scan, 2007.

Gareth Pugh, 2008.

Somerset House
Strand
020 7845 4600
London
SHOWstudio: Fashion Revolution
An exhibition at Somerset House
September 18-December 22, 2009

Collaborating with high-profile photographers, artists, writers, designers, stylists and cultural figures, SHOWstudio, a web-based fashion initiative has forged a revolution in the way fashion is communicated. Over the past nine years SHOWstudio has championed Fashion Film as a wholly new form of experiencing fashion in the digital age. Showcasing a retrospective of SHOWstudio's groundbreaking projects around the three central themes of "Process," "Performance," and "Participation," the exhibitionl continues in this same tradition of innovation and invention.

SHOWstudio brings a programme of live events, transforming Embankment Galleries and allowing visitors to get inside the world of fashion. Highlights include:

• SHOWstudio’s significant collaborations with designers including Alexander McQueen, Peter Saville, Liberty Ross, Heston Blumenthal, Gareth Pugh, Simon Foxton, and Julie Verhoeven.
• A live photographic studio located in the exhibition space, hosting regular fashion shoots with Nick Knight and other leading photographers, laying bare the process of fashion image-making.
• Nick Knight will shoot 100 portraits of London’s "beau monde," models, actors, musicians and artists.
• A programme of new Fashion Films, specially commissioned by SHOWstudio.

SHOWstudio: Fashion Revolution is a collaboration between Somerset House Exhibitions Curator Claire Catterall, Nick Knight's SHOWstudio, Professor Penny Martin, Rootstein Hopkins Chair of Fashion Imagery at London College of Fashion, and Alistair O’Neill, Senior Research Fellow at Central St Martins College of Art and Design. The exhibition, designed by Ab Rogers, opens during London Fashion Week hosted for the first time in Somerset House.

Speaking of the Somerset House show, Nick Knight said: "We are in the midst of a revolution in fashion imagery. Moving away from illustration and still photography, we are now entering the restless world of interactive, self-created, digital-imaging: accessible, downloadable, constantly changing. This is what interests me. Working with the very top fashion creators, this show will open up the whole process of fashion to literally everyone, instead of just an informed few."

Gwyn Miles, Director of Somerset House said: "SHOWstudio: Fashion Revolution brings fashion to life in a completely new way. I hope this exhibition will broaden debate about fashion as an art form and its impact on contemporary visual culture. Our ambition is that Somerset House should reflect current developments in the creative industries and particularly in the field of fashion and design. I am delighted that Nick Knight and SHOWstudio have accepted our invitation to work with us on such a groundbreaking exhibition."

SHOWstudio is an award-winning fashion website, founded and directed by Nick Knight, that has consistently pushed boundaries of communicating fashion online. Established in November 2000, SHOWstudio’s innovative and groundbreaking projects have defined the manner in which fashion is presented via the Internet. SHOWstudio has pioneered Fashion Film and is now recognised as the leading force behind this new medium. Working with the latest technology SHOWstudio broadcasts live from catwalk shows and fashion shoots, allowing an international audience instant and unparalleled access to a previously closed world of high fashion. Interacting with a global community of dedicated viewers, SHOWstudio encourages its audience to respond and contribute creatively to its projects, documenting, communicating and evaluating the results.

SHOWstudio collaborates with some of the most influential and acclaimed figures of contemporary fashion, including John Galliano, Kate Moss, Maison Martin Margiela, Comme des Garçons and Alexander McQueen. Alongside these established names, SHOWstudio also supports and nurturs emerging talent, including Gareth Pugh, Louise Goldin, Marios Schwab and Rodarte, offering exciting new designers a global platform for creative expression. SHOWstudio works with the world’s most sought-after filmmakers, writers and cultural figures to create visionary online content, exploring every facet of fashion through moving image, illustration, photography and the written word.

The exhibition features Nick Knight, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Naomi Campbell, Gareth Pugh, Comme des Garçons, Kate Moss, and Björk.

Sweet, SHOWstudio, 2000.