Ahead of the MoMu’s Antwerp Six exhibition, we sat down with its curators, who revealed six things you might not have known about the Antwerp Six. Following that, we caught up with Sonnet Stanfill, the curator of London’s new Schiaparelli exhibition, who talked us through the five most shocking designs by the label, from the early days of Elsa Schiaparelli to Daniel Roseberry’s current reign. And though we’d love to do that with every single exhibit, the truth is that the world’s museums are simply churning out too many for us to handle (we are in a golden age of fashion exhibitions, after all). So, to keep you up to date with all the curatorial goings on, we’ve compiled this handy list of all the must-see shows to visit this spring, from Helmut Lang in Vienna, the art of the catwalk in Dundee, to the soon-to-be-opened Fondazione Dries Van Noten in Venice.

HELMUT LANG. SÉANCE DE TRAVAIL 1986–2005, THE MAK, VIENNA

One of the most influential designers of the modern age, Helmut Lang’s impressive oeuvre has finally made it to exhibition format. The first official exhibit dedicated to the Austrian designer, HELMUT LANG. SÉANCE DE TRAVAIL 1986–2005 is a mixed media presentation featuring old campaigns, newspaper ads, store architecture, backstage polaroids, show invites, as well as pieces from Lang’s groundbreaking ready-to-wear collections.

HELMUT LANG. SÉANCE DE TRAVAIL 1986–2005 is on at MAK Vienna until May 3

AZZEDINE ALAÏA AND CHRISTIAN DIOR, FOUNDATION AZZEDINE ALAÏA, PARIS

For the last 40 years of his life, Azzedine Alaïa amassed a huge fashion archive rivalling that of any museum. A huge part of this collection was the work of Monsieur Christian Dior, a figure whose work he endlessly admired. To celebrate the parallels between their work, the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa has curated an exhibit that displays their work alongside one another, and has even extended the run due to popular demand.

Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior, two masters of Haute Couture is on at the Foundation Azzedine Alaïa until June 21

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD: REBEL - STORYTELLER - VISIONARY, THE BOWES MUSEUM, BARNARD CASTLE

Moving to the north of England, Barnard Castle in County Durham is hosting a major Vivienne Westwood retrospective this spring. Featuring never-before-seen garments, a gallery arranged to look like a working atelier, and digital deconstruction of Westwood’s clothes, the exhibit is set to faithfully chronicle the designer’s legendary career.

Vivienne Westwood: Rebel - Storyteller - Visionary is on at The Bowes Museum until September 6

VIRGINIA WOOLF AND THE HOGARTH PRESS, CHARLESTON, FIRLE

Though this one isn’t technically a fashion exhibition, it involves one globally renowned fashion designer, so it counts all the same. Virginia Woolf and the Hogarth Press celebrates the publisher that Woolf founded in her living room in 1917, and has tapped none other than Kim Jones to design bags based on different books printed by the Hogarth Press that mean a lot to him, like The Waste Land by TS Eliot, and Two Stories by Woolf. As well as that, Jones has also donated several loans from his own personal Hogarth Press collection to the exhibition.

Virginia Woolf and the Hogarth Press is on at the Charleston in Firle until September 6

SCHIAPARELLI: FASHION BECOMES ART, V&A, LONDON

This spring, London is lucky enough to play host to the UK’s first-ever Schiaparelli exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum. The exhibit takes us through the whole history of the label, from Elsa Schiaparelli’s early career as a sportswear designer, to her pioneering trompe-l’œil knitwear, relationships with artists like Man Ray and Salvador Dalí, all the way up to the blockbuster Daniel Roseberry era. “The first conversation I had about doing a Schiaparelli exhibition was about seven years ago,” curator Sonnet Stanfill told us at the opening. “We could never have predicted that, with the appointment of Daniel Roseberry, the house has gone from strength to strength. I feel like the exhibition is opening at such a good moment.”

Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art is on at the V&A until November 8

CATWALK: THE ART OF THE FASHION SHOW, V&A DUNDEE

The fashion show is without a doubt the most mythologised part of the entire industry, and this new exhibit unpacks its significance from the 1900s to now. Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show uses archival footage and more than 350 objects to trace notable moments in runway history, while designers like Martin Margiela, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Karl Lagerfeld are included in the study.

Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show is on at the V&A: Dundee until January 17, 2027

THE ANTWERP SIX, MOMU FASHION MUSEUM, ANTWERP

The tale of the Antwerp Six is the stuff of fashion legend, but, until now, the Belgian sextet had never had their own dedicated exhibition. Open at the MoMu in their home town, The Antwerp Six tells the story of how Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk Bikkembergs, Dirk Van Saene, Marina Yee and Walter Van Beirendonck took over fashion in the late 80s and into the 90s, with dedicated sections to the craft of each designer.

The Antwerp Six is on at the MoMu until January 17, 2027

THE ONLY TRUE PROTEST IS BEAUTY, FONDAZIONE DRIES VAN NOTEN, VENICE

Speaking of the Antwerp Six, Dries Van Noten turned heads last year when the designer and his husband, Patrick Vangheluwe, acquired the impressive Palazzo Pisani Moretta in May, a 15th-century palace overlooking the Grand Canal in Venice. Rather than become the pair’s new abode, the building is now the Fondazione Dries Van Noten, a non-profit institution dedicated to craftsmanship. Its first exhibition, The Only True Protest Is Beauty, opens this month, and features art, photography, ceramics and jewellery that frame “beauty as a catalyst for intensity”, as well as fashion from Christian Lacroix, Rei Kawakubo and CSM grad Ayham Hassan.

The Only True Protest is Beauty is on at the Fondazione Dries Van Noten from April 25-October 4

NIGO: FROM JAPAN WITH LOVE, DESIGN MUSEUM, LONDON

Heading back to the UK capital, legendary Japanese designer Nigo will be taking over the Design Museum from May with the first-ever major retrospective of his work outside of Japan. “This landmark exhibition will feature over 700 objects, with highlights including a recreation of Nigo’s teenage bedroom, rare designs, ceramics hand-thrown by Nigo himself, and a life-size glass tea house made especially for the exhibition,” revealed the museum ahead of the show.

Nigo: From Japan with Love is on at the Design Museum from May 1 to October 4