The Burberry Gallery: The V&A’s Fashion Gallery Is Getting A Huge Makeover

As the oldest (and most recognisable) location in the V&A’s growing catalogue of galleries, the V&A South Kensington hosts much of the museum’s hero exhibitions and displays. But with future programming getting bigger and better, the museum is giving some of its core spaces a spring refresh. First up: the Fashion Gallery, which will soon be renamed the Burberry Gallery following a major two-year refurb.

What To Expect From The V&A’s New Look

Earlier today, the V&A announced a huge transformation of the Fashion Gallery in its South Kensington venue. Kicking off this May, the redesign will take two years to complete and offer a new space to showcase the V&A extensive collection of fashion pieces.

And with the new space comes a new name; the refresh is supported by British heritage label Burberry, who will become the gallery’s new namesake. The Burberry Gallery will open its doors to the public in spring 2027, with a packed programme of activities to celebrate the newly redesigned space.

‘Founded in the same decade, for over 150 years the V&A and Burberry have been pillars of British fashion,’ commented Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A. ‘Global in our reach, whilst champions of UK art and design, we share a commitment to ensuring our proud heritage inspires the next generation of creatives. This partnership allows us to share the V&A’s incredible collections in new and accessible ways and, with Burberry, support education and craftsmanship across the country. The V&A is hugely honoured to display the Burberry name above one of the very greatest fashion galleries in the world.’

‘Burberry’s partnership with the V&A marks an incredible moment for British arts and culture,’ added Joshua Schulman, Chief Executive Officer at Burberry. ‘It unites two centuries-old cultural icons with a shared legacy of heritage and innovation, and a commitment to championing creativity in all its forms. We are so thrilled to come together with the V&A team to celebrate the rich history of our industry and to develop an immersive space that will inspire creative minds for generations to come.’

V&A Fashion Gallery, 2025 © Victoria and Albert Museum

When Will The Burberry Gallery Open?

The V&A South Kensington’s Fashion Gallery will close for redevelopment on Sunday 4 May 2025, and is expected to reopen as the Burberry Gallery in spring 2027. In the meantime, the museum’s fashion collection will be available to view in-person at V&A East Storehouse.

Upcoming fashion exhibitions at V&A South Kensington, like Cartier and Marie Antoinette Style, will not be disrupted by the gallery changes.

Will There Be A Burberry Exhibition At The V&A?

No news just yet, but we’re hopeful. The V&A has long been dedicated to curating exhibitions that examine some of fashion history’s key periods, people and movements – from Fabergé eggs and underwear through the ages to the career of supermodel Naomi Campbell. A number of brands have also taken the top slot exhibition at the V&A in recent years. Most recently, there was the hotly coveted Chanel. Fashion Manifesto (2023-2024), but the V&A has also previously explored the lives and careers of Christian Dior (2019), Mary Quant (2019-2020) and Alexander McQueen (2015).

Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto at the V&A, 2023 (c) Victoria and Albert Museum, London

And outside of programming, the museum has hosted a number of free-to-attend catwalk shows for the public, showcasing Fashion Week regulars like Erdem, Grace Wales Bonner, Harris Reed, Jean Paul Gaultier, Kenzo, Missoni, Minju Kim, Molly Goddard, Vivienne Westwood and Yohji Yamamoto.

With this in mind, it wouldn’t be completely outside the realm of possibility to see Burberry make it onto the V&A’s programming schedule. But until the news officially breaks, we’ll be keeping an eye on the upcoming opening of the Burberry Gallery. Watch this space.