The stripey overhead lighting makes it clear that the Fashion and Textile Museum is under occupation by Missoni, the Italian family firm founded in 1953 and famous for its stripes and zig-zags.
Before you get to the meat of the exhibition, there’s a screening room – think of it as the antipasti – with films showing what it takes to make a Missoni garment. The fleece is dyed and spun into spools of fine yarn before being knitted into patterns. It’s the first of several strangely soothing moments.
The show gets down to business with a selection of paintings from Italian post-war artists who influenced Missoni’s style. Look at Enrico Prampolini’s ‘Composizione’ for long enough and you start to see a swimsuit.
The main room is soundtracked by factory noises, while the lights change as if being switched off at the end of a shift. Mannequins decked in Missoni outfits show how the brand marries contemporary design with traditional craftsmanship. None of the pieces looks remotely dated. It’s remarkable that 63 years of fashion history can stand together as a whole.
To describe the show as ‘a riot of colour’ feels simplistic. There’s a calmness you don’t expect in an exhibition filled with so many shades, shapes and patterns. Everything is soft and restful – and as visually rhythmic as the hum of factory machines.