A fashion exhibition can draw people into a store without asking them to buy. But does it give visitors a reason to return—and the store a recognisable point of view? These are questions worth asking after years in which turning boutiques into experiential spaces seemed to work for luxury retail. Now that the global market is crowded with product drops, and neither hype, exclusivity nor party launches alone guarantee attention, do cultural events still deliver a meaningful impact?

Since 1991, 10 Corso Como has treated shopping as a journey of discovery, a vision Carla Sozzani built into the Milan concept store. Under the direction of Tiziana Fausti, with Alessio de’Navasques curating the Gallery’s cultural programme, that vision is gaining fresh ground. Yet a gallery must do more than fill a room: it must express the store’s distinctive identity. The latest test is Viktor&Rolf. Spectrum, the first exhibition in Italy dedicated to Dutch design duo Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, on view at the 10 Corso Como Gallery through 22 November 2026.

What Is 10 Corso Como? Inside Milan’s Original Concept Store 

10 Corso Como has always played by different rules. Its universe blends fashion, photography, books, design, and contemporary art, making shopping part of a broader experience. It is a place to discover ideas as well as make purchases. That is what sets it apart in luxury retail: products can be bought online, trends spread in seconds, and even exclusivity can feel mass-produced. What remains harder to replicate is a distinctive point of view.

By using its gallery as a platform for creative dialogue, 10 Corso Como offers an alternative to conventional retail. Visitors can engage with fashion without buying, explore a designer’s universe, and leave with more than a shopping bag: a new perspective. For this model to succeed, culture must shape the experience itself, not sit beside it as a marketing accessory.

Inside 10 Corso Como’s gallery, where fashion, art and contemporary culture converge through Viktor & Rolf’s creative vision. Photo by Alessandro Saletta. Courtesy of 10 Corso Como.

How Do Viktor&Rolf Turn Haute Couture into Art?

Founded in 1993, Viktor&Rolf has spent more than three decades challenging the boundaries between haute couture, contemporary art, and performance. The duo met while studying in Arnhem, the Netherlands, and developed a creative language defined by theatrical silhouettes, conceptual thinking, and a playful disregard for fashion conventions.

For Viktor&Rolf, clothing is never just clothing. A dress can become a sculpture, a runway show can function as performance art, and an entire collection can revolve around a single provocative idea. Their work explores beauty, identity, excess, repetition, and the contradictions inherent in the fashion system itself. 

From the oversized statements of Fashion Statements to the poetic imperfections of Vagabonds, the designers consistently turn haute couture into a medium for storytelling and critique. 

Yet Viktor&Rolf is also an established luxury brand, with ready-to-wear, bridalwear, and a successful fragrance business that includes Flowerbomb and Spicebomb. Now part of OTB Group, the house shows how artistic experimentation and commercial recognition can coexist when creativity remains at the core.

Viktor&Rolf’s haute couture creations blur the boundaries between fashion, sculpture and performance art at 10 Corso Como. Photo by Alessandro Saletta. Courtesy of 10 Corso Como. 

What Can You See at Viktor&Rolf. Spectrum in Milan?

The title Spectrum points to the range of Viktor&Rolf’s creative universe. The exhibition traces recurring themes, visual echoes, and conceptual connections across their diverse collections. 

More than twenty haute couture looks are arranged in dialogue through contrasts and affinities, while mirrors and reflective surfaces underline the designers’ interest in duality and self-perception. The presentation invites visitors to look beyond craftsmanship and silhouette to uncover the ideas embedded in each creation.

What makes a garment beautiful? When does fashion become art? Can clothing challenge the codes that define it? These questions invite interpretation as well as observation. 

The exhibition also continues 10 Corso Como’s commitment to presenting influential voices in contemporary culture. In 2024, Yohji Yamamoto. Letter to the Future welcomed more than 20,000 visitors in just two months—a testament to the public’s appetite for fashion exhibitions with a compelling perspective beyond the runway.

Inside Viktor&Rolf. Spectrum, over twenty haute couture creations explore the dialogue between fashion, art and identity through theatrical silhouettes and reflections. Photo by Alessandro Saletta. Courtesy of 10 Corso Como.

Why Do Luxury Brands Host Fashion Exhibitions in Their Stores?

Fashion exhibitions give retailers a reason to bring people into a physical space beyond mere shopping. But is cultural retail the future of luxury? Consumers now seek experiences, stories, and emotional connections alongside products. A thoughtfully curated show can deliver all three, giving people a reason to visit the boutique in an era when almost everything is available at the click of a button. 

Authenticity is essential. When every brand claims to be a cultural platform, the true distinction lies in the quality of its ideas and the credibility of its programme. Culture needs a purpose beyond generating social media content or filling the next campaign. 10 Corso Como has a natural advantage: culture has been part of its vision from the beginning. Its gallery extends that vision; it is not just a temporary activation.

Viktor&Rolf. Spectrum brings fashion and contemporary art together at 10 Corso Como, transforming the gallery into an immersive cultural experience. Photo by Alessandro Saletta. Courtesy of 10 Corso Como.

Why Visit 10 Corso Como Beyond Shopping?

As luxury looks for its next big idea, 10 Corso Como offers a place to buy, discover, question, and connect. The Gallery draws visitors with its exhibitions, while the wider store brings together fashion, photography, books, design, and contemporary art under one roof. Beyond shopping, the appeal is the chance to see these disciplines in conversation—a dynamic mix that makes the store worth returning to.

Angelo Ruggeri
Journalist and Tutor for Styling, Business and Design Courses and Master’s Programmes, Milan