Andrew Gn at the Peabody Essex Museum

At the Peabody Essex Museum, fashion becomes a lens for understanding migration, memory and global exchange. The museum’s major exhibition devoted to designer Andrew Gn presents close to 100 garments from his atelier, House of Andrew Gn, spanning nearly two decades, marking the most comprehensive look at his work in the United States to date. Elegant yet intellectually grounded, the exhibition situates Gn not simply as a luxury designer, but as a cultural storyteller whose clothes reflect a life shaped by movement across continents.

Curated by Petra Slinkard, PEM’s chief curator and curator of fashion and textiles, “Andrew Gn: Fashioning the World” grew out of the designer’s 2023 retrospective at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore. Slinkard contributed a chapter to that exhibition’s publication and later traveled to Singapore to speak about his work. Seeing such a wide range of garments together proved transformative.

“When I was at the Asian Civilisations Museum, ACM, I really started to see Andrew’s work kind of in a different way, because I was able to see so much of it in one place,” she said. “To really see a full arc of his career helped me see his work in a different way.”

That experience sparked conversations about bringing the exhibition to Salem, where it would resonate with PEM’s own history. Both museums share a focus on maritime trade, Asian export art and global exchange.

“I started to see immediately how many similarities there are between ACM and PEM,” Slinkard said, explaining that Gn’s work created opportunities “to share and connect dots” between fashion, history and the museum’s broader collections.

Born in Singapore in 1964, Andrew Gn came of age alongside the nation itself, which gained independence just one year later. As the exhibition was being developed, Slinkard began to see Gn’s career as intertwined with Singapore’s modern identity.

“I started to think of him as one version of the embodiment of Singapore’s most recent … trajectory of growth and expansion,” she said. The exhibition’s timing is especially meaningful as Singapore marked the 60th anniversary of its independence in 2025.

Gn’s path to international recognition was neither conventional nor loud. Educated at Central Saint Martins in London, he went on to establish his house in Paris, choosing to show exclusively at Paris Fashion Week rather than participating in the full circuit of global fashion shows. That decision, Slinkard noted, helped preserve his creative independence.

“They were there to do business,” she said. “It was really about presenting the vision, staying true to that vision, and then going home.”

That clarity of purpose is evident throughout the exhibition.

Gn’s designs draw from a wide range of sources — art history, decorative traditions, nature and everyday life — but never feel scattered. “Andrew is a storyteller,” Slinkard said. “His work begins from a point of collage.”

Whether inspired by floral arrangements, butterflies or something as ordinary as dessert, Gn elevates the familiar into something layered with meaning. “He designs from a place of joy, and from a perspective of celebrating beauty,” she said. “For Andrew, beauty is global.”

Visitors encounter garments that are visually striking at first glance and increasingly complex up close. Beaded gowns reveal painstaking craftsmanship, with details that read like brushwork on fabric. A black floor-length dress worn by Faith Hill appears restrained from afar, but closer inspection reveals calla lilies formed entirely with hand-beading. “It’s truly almost like painting on the fabric,” Slinkard said.

Craftsmanship, she emphasized, sits at the center of Gn’s practice. “Quality over quantity” has long guided his work, particularly as conversations about sustainability have intensified. Rather than producing disposable fashion, Gn focused on longevity. “The clothes truly were built to last,” Slinkard said, noting that his designs have maintained value in the resale market because of their construction and materials.

The exhibition also addresses questions of representation and inclusivity. Gn’s runway and editorial models express the gamut of skin tones. He selected the exhibition mannequins himself, opting for softer forms and deep-toned finishes that allow the garments’ colors and embellishments to stand out.

“From his perspective, the clothes showed beautifully,” Slinkard said. Representation, she added, is fundamental to his worldview. “Andrew truly sees all… representation as beautiful.”

Those values extend beyond the gallery. The museum shop features jewelry created in collaboration with Jade Gedeon, founder of We Dream in Colour, a Black-owned jewelry brand based in Essex, Massachusetts.

The partnership is part of PEM’s broader effort to work with contemporary designers whose work aligns with the themes of its exhibitions. Gedeon did not respond to requests for comment, but her bold, sculptural designs complement Gn’s vibrant palettes and reinforce the exhibition’s emphasis on global and local connections.

The exhibition speaks powerfully to young creatives, particularly those from underrepresented communities. Gn’s personal journey — from Singapore to London, New York and Paris — underscores the possibilities of forging a global career while maintaining cultural integrity. Slinkard hopes younger visitors will “find a point of connection” and feel inspired by his willingness to embrace complexity, hybridity and independence.

Ultimately, the Andrew Gn exhibition positions fashion not as a trend-driven industry, but as a medium capable of carrying history, identity and emotion. In Salem, a city shaped by centuries of global exchange, Gn’s work feels especially at home. His garments invite viewers to slow down, look closely and consider how beauty, when crafted with intention, can become a powerful form of storytelling.

“Andrew Gn: Fashioning the World” is on view until Feb. 16.

ON THE WEB

To learn more and purchase tickets visit pem.org/exhibitions/andrew-gnfashioning-the-world