He wanted to create a “total look” for his clients, completely enveloped in his vision from head to toe. Gernreich used his designs as a means of activism to break social taboos and promote acceptance of LGBTQ+ people. His creations were gender neutral and independent of sexual orientation. He campaigned for women’s rights and against discrimination against people with disabilities. He wanted to avoid submitting to a fashion doctrine, he attacked conventions and polarised.

Staged by Paul Graves and Frank Wilde, who spent the last 15 years completing the collection of silk scarves, and curated by Karin Kruse. The exhibition of the luxurious creations with Genreich’s unique colours, patterns and prints celebrates the aesthetics of the 60s and early 70s and creates a new perspective. Each individual silk scarf conveys the conceptual substance of its time, whether through insignia of the famous military collection as a statement on the Vietnam War, the humour of the banally simple typography scarf or the radiant dot patterns inspired by the iconic clown. Of course, it is not about stylish accessories, but about individual works of art by one of the great design pioneers of the 20th century.

In the history and photography of Genreich’s work, scarves have nevertheless been neglected for a long time. The Rudi Gernreich story usually focuses on his dance career and his ingenious consistency as a designer in staging the human body through radically new cuts and forms. Or on his historical significance as a queer activist who had to flee Austria in 1938 because of his Jewish origins and donated his estate to a homosexual artists’ group. An often underestimated detail of his artistic career is his professional experience as a textile designer, whose influence manifests itself so exquisitely in those very plastic and radiantly coloured dreams made of silk.

No wonder these aroused the curiosity and passion of Graves and Wilde. After discovering their first prey in the corner of a shop in Lower Manhattan, the hunt was on. Gradually, over time, they gathered the full collection of silk scarves through online auctions, collectors and from vintage stores around the world.

This obsessive passion for collecting culminates in a series of photographs from the last decade in which the two friends celebrate their treasures. The installation of object and photography created especially for the exhibition takes us back half a century to a world of colour and form that has lost none of its impact, intensity and meaning to this day.

Paul Graves studied art, has directed numerous award-winning music videos and founded his own fashion label. He is best known for his still life photography, which is published worldwide.

From Herbert Grönemeyer to Tokyo Hotel and Sarah Connor, Frank has created the looks of German pop icons and is still a constant when it comes to style and developing visual images. He is also an LGBTQ activist from the very beginning and is known for his stylish protest photos against the war in Ukraine, with which he reaches over 100,000 people online every day as an influencer.

From Herbert Grönemeyer to Tokyo Hotel and Sarah Connor, Frank has created the looks of German pop icons and is still a constant when it comes to style and developing visual images. He is also an LGBTQ activist from the very beginning and is known for his stylish protest photos against the war in Ukraine, with which he reaches over 100,000 people online every day as an influencer.