Bonaveri is both sponsor and supplier to the Guo Pei Legend exhibition in Melbourne where a series of Aloof and 2200 mannequins were supplied with a deep black gloss finish. The mannequins form the Schläppi Collection are a favourite of Guo Pei’s and provide the elegant backdrop to an ornate and delicately detailed collection.
Legend, Guo Pei’s spring/summer 2017 collection was first shown at Conciergerie in Paris and inspired by the 18th-century Abbey of Saint Gall in the Swiss town of St. Gallen. During a visit to fabric manufacturer Jakob Schlaepfe, located in the town, art director Martin Leuthold suggested she visit the local cathedral. What she saw there inspired her ‘Legend’ collection, informing the sumptuous and delicate materials and fabrics used throughout the collection.
The exhibition at NGV Triennial emulates the richness of the interior of the cathedral, with a rich and dramatic contrast of light and dark. Each display is set against a darkened interior where the carefully illuminated garment is highlighted so as to mirror illuminated manuscripts and stained glass found in the cathedral. The Abbey library of Saint Gall is recognized as one of the richest medieval libraries in the world, home to one of the most comprehensive collections of early medieval books in the German-speaking part of Europe. This, combined with the Baroque interior of the abbey all come together to inspire Guo Pei’s Legend Collection.
NGV Triennial features the work of over 100 artists and designers from 32 countries in a celebration of contemporary art and design. Other artists featured alongside those at the Guo Pei Legend exhibition include Yayoi Kusama, Iris Van Herpen and others.
About Guo Pei
Guo Pei’s dressmaking interest started at a young age and her early career saw her catapulted to fame when, in 1997 she started her first atelier, Rose Studio, quickly becoming popular with Chinese celebrities and the political elite. In 2008, she was asked to design the Chinese ceremonial dresses for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and again received acclaim in 2015 for her work when pop star Rihanna wore her canary yellow fur-trimmed gown and cape to the Costume Institute’s annual gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Pei’s work was featured at The Met’s ‘China Through The Looking Glass‘ exhibition where her silk couture dress by became a centrepiece of the exhibition. Pei has again chosen Schläppi 2200 and Aloof mannequins for the Melbourne event having formed a close relationship with the collection at the Met’s exhibition.
The exhibition is on at the NGV International venue in Melbourne until the 15th of April 2018.
NGV INTERNATIONAL
180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Australia
15 December 2017 until 15 April 2018
