What does Postmodernism mean, and where did it come from? The V&A will explore these questions in a new exhibition focusing on the 1970s and 1980s. The ideas of Postmodernism first emerged in architecture as new interest was shown in buildings from the past and the minimalism of Modernism was eschewed. These early ideas began to influence other areas of design, including furniture and graphics. The exhibition will also look at the popular side of Postmodernism, especially the music of the time such as raves, New Wave and hip-hop, and graffiti art. Design became big business in the boom years of the 1980s when speed, excess and fame were keywords and more is more was the mantra of the time.

From court dress to couture, the objects in Material World will feature extravagant ornamentation of textiles and personal adornment from cultures around the world while highlighting the significance of textiles in displaying wealth, status and power.

From June 17 to October 2, 2011, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) will present The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, the first international exhibition devoted to the celebrated French couturier. Gaultier launched his first prêt-à-porter collection in 1976 and founded his own couture house in 1997. Dubbed fashion's enfant terrible by the press from the time of his first runway shows in the 1970s, Jean Paul Gaultier is indisputably one of the most important fashion designers of recent decades.

In summer 2011, art and fashion meet at the Musée through works by the designer Ying Gao. The exhibition Ying Gao: Art, Fashion and Technology presents a dozen pieces that include three series of "intelligent" garments which move and change in response to noise, sound, motion or light. These garments represent state-of-the-art research on textiles with integrated technologies but still have an amazingly poetic dimension. They draw the viewer's eye, inflating, unfolding, transforming while protecting the virtual body they cover. A couture experience like no other!

Direktorenhaus presents the new show of 4 young textile designers: The 5th Element. New European Textile Craft. From 5th of July until the 30th of July 2011 the Direktorenhaus changes into a mazy wintergarden of knitted materials, woven textiles, organic objects and hand-stitched fabrics. The exhibition is showcasing for the first time works of Signe Emdal (Kopenhagen), Hao-Ni Tsai (London), Ruth Duff (Glasgow) and Izumi Sato (Stockholm) in Berlin.

For the 3rd time FASHIONCLASH creates a clash with fashion, a cultural and creative encounter of designers, disciplines and cultures around fashion. FASHIONCLASH Maastricht is a unique platform in particular for 'young’ and talented designers / artists to present their work to a diverse (inter) national audience. More than 100 designers/artists will show their work during FASHIONCLASH Maastricht in a new location, SAMdecorfabriek.

The Venice Biennale, which has its offices in Ca' Giustinian (San Marco, 1364/A), has for over a century been one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. Ever since its foundation in 1895, it has been in the avant-garde, promoting new artistic trends and organising international events in contemporary arts.

The Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum will present the exhibition "Color Moves: Art and Fashion by Sonia Delaunay," from March 18, 2011, to June 5, 2011. Organized by Susan Brown, assistant curator, and Matilda McQuaid, deputy curatorial director, the exhibition will feature Sonia Delaunay's designs for textiles and fashion in the 1920s through the 1940s, when she was intensively exploring the relationship between fabrics and contemporary art in terms of movement and color. Among the more than 300 works on view are garments and textiles, with correlating designs, fashion illustrations and period photographs.

The International Design Alliance (IDA) is a strategic venture between the international organisations representing industrial design, communication design and interior architecture/design. The alliance was created by its founding partners, the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) and the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda) in 2003. In 2008, the IDA welcomed the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI) to the alliance as the third partner.

During three days we welcome all interested professional ‘design’ people to come and see the newest products of the selected exhibitors. The Van Nelle Design factory will again be the location for 100% Design. This old factory is an architectonical highlight, of which the monumental coffee and tobacco factory and surroundings will be decorated for the event.