It’s one of the most extraordinary and anticipated nights in Australia’s social calendar – a celebration of creativity, culture and artistic innovation. The National Gallery of Victoria’s 2025 Gala, held on Saturday December 6, was the glamorous opening event for the gallery’s summer blockbuster exhibition, Westwood | Kawakubo.

Featuring 150 designs by self-taught fashion rebels, Vivienne Westwood and Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo, the exhibition brings together pieces from the NGV Collection, international museums, Westwood Heritage and private collections. Its thematic arrangement demonstrates the parallels in the designers’ work, from their reinterpretation of historical fashion references to their experimental design methodologies.

Since 2007, Mercedes-Benz has been a passionate supporter of the National Gallery of Victoria, proudly serving as Principal Partner for some of the most anticipated exhibitions to ever visit Australia. In 2025, we were once again the Principal Partner of Westwood | Kawakubo and the Major Partner of the NGV Gala.

“Mercedes-Benz is committed to innovation and creative excellence, two principles that will be paramount in the NGV’s summer blockbuster exhibition, set to take visitors on a transformative journey through the eyes of two groundbreaking creatives,” says Homero Becerra, managing director of Mercedes-Benz Cars and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Australia / Pacific.

On a night of fashion, glamour and exceptional artistry, guests of the prestigious NGV Gala were given exclusive first access to Westwood | Kawakubo.

Inside the NGV Gala

For the first-time in its history, the NGV Gala had a co-chair, with Troye Sivan joining NGV director Tony Ellwood AM in the role.

“I am so, so proud to be co-chairing the NGV Gala,” says Troye, who wore Prada shorts and Canturi diamonds to the event. “I love few things more than I love the arts, especially the arts in Australia. And so to be part of a night that really celebrates and champions that at such a grand level is very, very exciting.”

Guests arrived at the NGV to walk the blue carpet in front of the water wall and a beautifully wrapped Mercedes-AMG G 63.

Among the special guests on the night were Ronan and Storm Keating, Sarah Ellen, Aisha Dee, Baker Boy, Emma Kate Boyd, and British milliner Stephen Jones OBE, who arrived at the event in a Mercedes-AMG G 63.

Stephen met the late Vivienne Westwood in the 1970s while he was a student at St Martins School of Art, after standing on her foot at a bar in London. They collaborated throughout her career, with Stephen creating pieces like the signature tweed crowns for her Harris Tweed collection in 1987. He subsequently met Rei Kawakubo at an airport during a layover to Japan in 1984. They began working together in 1985, when they would trade sketches by FedEx and later by fax. For Westwood | Kawakubo, Stephen created over 40 whimsical headpieces for works on display.

Another guest was philanthropist Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM, who has gifted hundreds of works to the NGV’s Fashion and Textiles collection, including Vivienne Westwood garments and accessories, many of which feature in Westwood | Kawakubo.

She also supported a commission that saw young designer Indigo Stuart, who won the National Graduate Award in March for her RMIT collection, create two gowns that debuted on the night, worn by models Lauren Stevenson and Billie-Jean Hamlet.

“It’s important to provide opportunities to our emerging talent, and the NGV Gala is the perfect national stage for designers to express themselves creatively and push their practices creatively… it’s thrilling to see young designers like [Indigo] making their own textiles and finding their own unique point of view,” Krystyna told The Sydney Morning Herald.

Inside the NGV, various spaces were transformed for the evening; one played host to a London-inspired piano bar with live music, another became a Tokyo-inspired karaoke room. Musician Don West performed and guests danced the night away to LA-based DJ Leland.

A fashion spectacle

As anticipated for such an event, the fashion on display was extraordinary. Many guests wore custom-made gowns that encapsulated the individuality and rebellious spirit of Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo.

Fashion and art collector Anastasia Kogan, who attended the NGV Gala with husband Ruslan, wore a concept she developed with J’Aton Couture. The gown referenced punk and royalty with a long train of tartan and a corset printed with Lorenzo Gennari’s Venus Nursing Cupid. Fashion stylist Molly Johnston wowed in a shiny black corseted gown with voluminous layers by Tulle Addict’s Madi Cheney, paired with a tartan Vivienne Westwood handbag.

The shape and proportion of Melissa Leong’s short Jarrod Reid gown took inspiration from both Westwood’s and Kawakubo’s designs. Her hairstyle referenced the gravity-defying looks of the runway show for Vivienne Westwood’s 2015–16 collection, while her make-up was inspired by the look Rihanna wore with a Comme des Garçons gown to the 2017 Met Gala.

Charlene Davies’ red gown, with an imposing figure attached to it and looming over her, was inspired by Frankenstein, while Susie Porter looked incredible in a Romance Was Born gown.

Westwood | Kawakubo is on display at NGV International until April 19, 2026