Fashion and interior design’s intertwinement receives an analysis through the lens of gender in Hannibal Books’ new release, Fashion & Interiors: A Gendered Affair. Authored by Romy Cockx, Robin Schuldenfrei and Lara Steinhäußer, A Gendered Affair explores the subjects’ intersection by referencing the work of contemporary to Victorian era designers like Martin Margiela and Raf Simons.

In the nineteenth century, it was more than common for women within the bourgeois class to adorn their physical beings with fringing, drapery and ruching, much like they would with their living quarters. During this time, designers like Josef Hoffmann and Henry van de Velde sought to retaliate against the decorative and restrictive nature of these pieces, advocating for practicality in women’s clothing and interiors.

In the midst of this, French fashion designers Paul Poiret and Jeanne Lanvin found inspiration in the approach taken by those like Hoffmann and van de Velde to in turn construct an impactful brand for their houses. Adolf Loose, Lilly Reich and Le Corbusier who were, in contrast, modernist interior design architects, were also able to resonate with the changing climate of the clothing industry.

In conjunction with the publication of Fashion & Interiors: A Gendered Affair, an exhibition by the same title is on display at MoMu—Fashion Museum Antwerp from March 29th to August 3rd, 2025, also curated by Cockx. Creations by Ann Demeulemeester and Hussein Chalayan, along with Margiela and Simons are presented in the exhibit, allowing for the historical correlation bounding fashion and interior design to be brought to light.

Themes of total creation by weaving these two aspects together was a familiar concept to the architects and designers of the nineteenth century, and still prevails in modern times. Both industries have had a remarkable impact on the perception, reinforcement and subsequent challenging of gender norms during the course of history.

The objects and decorations that inhabit our homes and bodies communicate through gender, which allows for the unique opportunity to shape one’s perception of another just by way of visual representation.