I feel very lucky to be able to travel to many interesting places because of my work. Most of my traveling involves factories, corporate offices or colleges with hardly any free time. However, I always try to make a point of visiting a gallery or a museum wherever I might be. Recently there have been quite a few fashion exhibitions, which I always attend with some trepidation (think still garments on faceless mannequins).

A few weeks ago I went to see the Exoticism show at The Fashion Institute of Technology’s Museum in New York, and the adjoining Chic Chicago show. The rooms were still, quiet and very dark. The Exoticism show did make a clear point of how many designers are inspired by foreign cultures, but still the show could have been so much more (audio/film/tribal imagery maybe?) Of course being a Finn I was excited to see Fujiwo Ishimoto’s Marimekko fabrics included in the exhibition.

The adjoining Chic Chicago had amazing pieces by such masters as Cristobal Balenciaga and Charles James, but again in a theater style--a very dark (and a bit scary) environment. The spooky guards watching your every move did not make it any better.

Static exhibitions are usually the standard way to show clothing and accessories, but there have been some exhibitions where new areas are explored.

I have personally been part of two interactive “fashion” exhibitions. The first one was in London, titled Fashion Film and Fiction, where the audience could try on all the exhibition pieces from hangers that swung down from the ceiling on ropes. After the exhibition ended, the pieces were auctioned off to the public by Christie’s.

The second one was last summer’s New Arrivals at Design Forum Finland. The exhibition where one could not only see our work but also hear all our stories, and then go and have a closer look at the gallery shop. As a designer, it is great to see the product reach a new audience, and for once to be able to express what your work is about. The NOW Office (and Design Forum) format was internationally acknowledged as innovative and fresh. Key words that any designer would like to be associated with.

In Florence I saw another fashion exhibition called Contro Moda which was contemporary fashion from the permanent collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The show had the usual subjects with a heavy emphasis on the Japanese (Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo), plus key pieces from such designers as Maison Martin Margiela and Antonio Marras.

The display of the clothes was not very flattering in the dark Florentine palazzo, and after a few rooms the boredom quickly set in. However, there was a surprise just around the corner! A room was set aside where you could experience the exhibition – you could try out designs with materials provided for you on several design tables. A collection of Issey Miyake’s clothes were available to touch, and even to try on (Miyaki’s Pleats Please garments pretty much fit anybody).

This type of interactivity has been a welcome trend in not only fashion exhibitions, but also in most art galleries and museums—which are reaching out to new audiences by offering more than just a “visual” experience.

The recently opened New Museum in New York City is a stunning construction of white cubist architecture in the middle of a grimy Bowery neighborhood. The current exhibition Unmonumental has an online extension to complement it, and the bookstore has the same product available online for a global audience.

I am the first to admit that just like everyone else, most galleries and museums are businesses that are trying to make money, but I still like the option of being able to experience something design-driven. Long live museum and gallery culture!