Talks
From Salon to Runway: A History of Fashion Shows
TALK (EN)
By Caroline Evans
Thursday | 29 January 2026
6.30 pm, Vitra Schaudepot
As part of the array of events accompanying the exhibition »Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show«, renowned fashion historian Caroline Evans will talk about the history of the fashion show from around 1900 to the present day.
Fashion shows have become huge media spectacles. Above and beyond presenting clothes, they engage with the human form and debunk cultural myths – society events with a social message.
A leading expert in the field of fashion history, Caroline Evans is Professor Emerita at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Her key works include »Women and Fashion« (1989), »Fashion at the Edge« (2003), »The Mechanical Smile« (2013), and »Time in Fashion« (2020). She has lectured at design schools and universities all around the world and has acted as a consultant for international museums ranging from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Museum of London to the MoMu Fashion Museum in Antwerp and the Palais Galliera in Paris. Her most recent articles have appeared in exhibition catalogues including »Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto« (2020), »Exploding Fashion« (2022), »Dirty Looks« (2025), and »Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show« (2025), the catalogue accompanying the current exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum.
The event will be held in English.
Admission is free. Please register at events@design-museum.de
Hella Jongerius: Whispering Things
OPENING & TALK (EN)
Friday, 13 March 2026
Opening Talk: 6 pm, Fire Station
With Hella Jongerius
Opening: 7 pm, Vitra Design Museum
For more than thirty years, Hella Jongerius has been one of the leading figures in contemporary design. Her pioneering work spans textiles, ceramics, furniture, and lighting as well as sculptural pieces. »Hella Jongerius: Whispering Things« is the first retrospective to present the full scope of the Dutch designer’s oeuvre – from early experiments to recent works and including her collaborations with Maharam, KLM, Camper, and Vitra – and demonstrates why Jongerius continues to be a defining force in the design world. The archive of her design studio, Jongeriuslab, has been in the care of the Vitra Design Museum since 2024, providing many of the works shown in the exhibition.
At the Opening Talk, Hella Jongerius and curator Glenn Adamson will reveal the idea behind the exhibition and discuss what it means to be the subject of a retrospective. They will talk about Jongerius’s research-driven approach, her mission to reconcile craftsmanship and industrial processes, her experiments with material and colour, and the language and meanings of objects.
The Opening gives you the chance to be among the first to view the new exhibition. Experience Jongerius’s pathbreaking designs from more than three decades and be inspired by the scope of her creativity. Celebrate with us and enjoy the atmosphere of the Vitra Design Museum en fête!
Free admission.
Growing Together: Vitra x Jongerius x Maharam
TALK (EN)
Thursday, 16 April 2026
6.30 pm, Vitra Schaudepot
Continuity, trust, and mutual growth are key to successful creative collaboration: this is demonstrated by Hella Jongerius’s long-term partnerships with Vitra and Maharam, Global Sponsor of the exhibition »Hella Jongerius: Whispering Things«. For Vitra, Jongerius developed the Vitra Colour & Material Library. Working over a period of several years, she organized textiles, leather, synthetics, metals, wood, and other materials in a coherent system offering innumerable possible combinations. Jongerius says: »The Vitra Colour & Material Library encourages creative freedom and fires the imagination – not by making everything possible, but by providing a clear display of options.«
The association between Jongerius and Maharam, one of the leading providers of textiles to architects and interior designers, is also of long standing. The Maharam Design Studio embraces a broad range of disciplines from product, graphic, and digital design to art and architecture. Long-term collaborations with internationally renowned designers foster an open dialogue across varied design disciplines and bring new perspectives to textile design.
Leading personalities from Jongeriuslab, Vitra, and Maharam will talk about continuity and perspective in the design world. They will discuss the innovative force of mutual trust and highlight the importance of long-lasting partnerships for the future of design.
Free admission; please book your ticket at design-museum.reservix.de
Jurgen Bey: The Making of Droog Design
TALK (EN)
Thursday, 30 April 2026
6.30 pm, Vitra Schaudepot
The premiere of Droog Design at Milan’s 1993 Salone del Mobile was a sensation. A modest show of works by complete unknowns, it gave rise to an international movement that put Dutch Design firmly on the map. »Droog« is Dutch for »dry«, an apt description of the deceptive simplicity characterizing the group’s witty designs, which combine an innovative use of everyday materials with an uncompromisingly down-toearth philosophy.
Hella Jongerius began her career with the group and soon became one of its leading figures. Throughout the 1990s, she developed her unique design approach in its context, combining craftsmanship with industrial processes and questioning traditional boundaries. By testing and expanding the possibilities offered by materials to yield products that are at once soft, thick, and strong, she created works like the Pushed Washtub (1996) currently on display in the exhibition »Hella Jongerius: Whispering Things« at the Vitra Design Museum.
Jurgen Bey (born 1965) is a renowned Dutch designer. He holds a degree from the Eindhoven Design Academy and first gained prominence with the Droog Design group, a collaboration that gave him a defining influence on the global image of Dutch Design. Bey is known for critical, context-based projects ranging from furniture to interiors and public spaces. His iconic Treetrunk Bench (1998) is part of the Vitra Design Museum’s collection. In 2002 he teamed up with Rianne Makkink to establish Studio Makkink & Bey; he also served as director of the Sandberg Institute.
Looking back at the early years of Droog Design, Jurgen Bey tells the story of the design movement and talks about working with Hella Jongerius when they were both involved with the group.
Free admission; please book your ticket at design-museum.reservix.de
Am Boden: Marc Lunghuß reads from his debut novel
TALK (DE)
Thursday, 28 May 2026
6.30 pm, Vitra Schaudepot
We are delighted to welcome Marc Lunghuß at an event accompanying the exhibition »Verner Panton: Form, Colour, Space «. The author will read from his debut novel »Am Boden« (On the Floor). Verner Panton designed textiles, rugs, and carpets that defined an era. Marc Lunghuß tells the story of a carpet salesman from Lower Saxony whose family history weaves with the history of West Germany. In his novel, floor coverings epitomize West German interior design culture and reflect social change as well: from the spread of wall-to-wall cosiness in the 1970s and 1980s to the decline of close carpeting in the 1990s, when post-unification Germany became obsessed with hard parquet.
Marc Lunghuß (born 1974) studied Philosophy and German Literature in Heidelberg and Berlin. He worked as a theatre director in Stuttgart, Frankfurt am Main, and Leipzig. His stories have appeared in numerous anthologies and journals. His first novel, »Am Boden«, was published by Bärmeier & Nikel in autumn 2024.
The reading will be followed by a conversation between Marc Lunghuß and Education Curator Anastasia Chaguidouline. You are welcome to ask questions!
Free admission; please book your ticket at design-museum.reservix.de
Camper: Designing a Company
TALK (EN)
Thursday, 9 July 2026
6.30 pm, Vitra Schaudepot
Join us for a lively conversation about the Spanish cult shoe brand Camper, its history, and its innovative design development at an event accompanying the exhibition »Hella Jongerius: Whispering Things«. Shoemaking is a family tradition for Lorenzo Fluxa, and when he founded his own footwear company in Mallorca in 1975, it was to meet the demand for a fresh style. The radically idiosyncratic brand he created soon achieved international renown. At Camper, design means far more than product development – it defines the entire company.
The programme »Camper Together« was launched to foster collaborations with leading designers and artists to develop products and create unique concept stores. The partnerships established within this programme distinguish the Camper brand and demonstrate how creative collaboration drives innovation. When Hella Jongerius took on the role of art director in 2009, she developed a comprehensive colour scale in a system that can be used for other collections as well.
Find out more about the Camper legacy as Camper staff talk about the company’s design process and its history, discuss the philosophy underpinning the »Camper Together« programme, and reveal what it is like working together with renowned designers and artists.
Free admission; please book your ticket at design-museum.reservix.de