Mossi Traoré: Fashion, Too – Meet the French Designer at the Mucem.

Mucem: Dance, contemporary art, cinema… the exhibition reveals the many facets of your work.

Mossi Traoré: My world is indeed multifaceted, shaped by the people who inspire and surround me. My work is built on sometimes unexpected connections between modernity and tradition, and on a determination to see every idea through to the end. When I was invited to create this exhibition, I wanted to bring in other artists such as Lee Bul, Lee Bae, Hassan Massoudy, Ibrahim Ballo and Simone Pheulpin.

Beyond art itself, I am deeply committed to shining a light on the “invisible” as a way of raising public awareness. I want to give visibility to those who work quietly behind the scenes and are too often overlooked, from healthcare workers during the Covid pandemic to the refuse collectors of Paris.

I chose to explore this theme differently in the exhibition through a new version of Ça charbonne, first presented in 2021 and now centred on the work of Korean dancers from the Paris Opera Ballet. Day after day, they repeat the same movements with discipline, perseverance and dedication until they achieve excellence. It is also a metaphor for the worlds of couture and football, both built on highly technical gestures that often go unnoticed by the general public.

The exhibition also reflects many other influences that nourish my work, from Bollywood cinema and its actresses to the legacy of great fashion designers — from Yohji Yamamoto to Madame Grès — as well as the neighbourhood where I grew up. Fashion has opened the door to this richness and diversity. In many ways, it tells the story of who I am.

M.: This is the first time a museum has dedicated a retrospective exhibition to your work. What is your connection to the Mucem and to Marseille?

M. T.: My relationship with the Mucem began at the same time as my relationship with Marseille. Until then, my knowledge of the city was largely shaped by a lifelong passion for Olympique de Marseille. It was while working on the exhibition at Galerie du 19M Marseille, held at Fort Saint-Jean in 2024, that I truly discovered both the city and the Mucem.

A city open to the world, Marseille embodies values of hospitality and cultural diversity that are very close to my heart. It also has an incredible popular energy and sense of collective passion.

The Mucem wanted to collaborate with someone who could bring a fresh perspective on both fashion and the museum itself, while attracting audiences who do not usually engage with cultural institutions. I have always wanted to build bridges, so this approach immediately resonated with me. Together, the Mucem and I share a commitment to cultural accessibility, driven by the belief that art should reach those who do not normally have access to it.

Throughout my career, I have often taken culture beyond institutional walls, organising fashion shows and exhibitions in neighbourhoods that I viewed as open-air museums, places that could be both vibrant and challenging. This time, I am inviting all audiences to discover my work within the museum itself.

Through fashion, I discovered the world of culture, a world in which I quickly felt at home. Today, I hope to encourage young people to explore it for themselves, without feeling intimidated.

M.: You spent time exploring the Mucem’s collections and reserves. Were there any objects that particularly struck you?

M.T.: What I remember most from my first visit to the reserves is a gentle sense of nostalgia. It was a place filled with familiar memories, from discovering a Captain Tsubasa Panini album – the iconic Japanese manga that shaped much of my childhood – to fragments of fairground rides that brought back memories of the travelling funfairs of my youth.

Then there was the commemorative football celebrating Olympique de Marseille’s 1993 victory. A symbol of collective memory, passion and dreams, it simply had to be included in the exhibition. As a former football player and lifelong OM supporter, I see it as a perfect example of how popular culture can become part of our shared heritage.

I also came across objects that resonated directly with my own work. The funeral wreaths, for instance, reminded me of the fashion show I staged at Père Lachaise Cemetery in 2012. Many objects linked to couture feature throughout the exhibition, including irons, sewing machines and pleating moulds. Encountering garments with particularly intricate tailoring details inspired me to reinterpret them, while always respecting their spirit, heritage and history.

Two elements from Breton and Croatian costumes, displayed alongside a reconstruction of my studio, even inspired pieces from the MOSSI 2025 and 2026 collections.

All of these objects evoked a feeling of intimacy and affection. They gave me both the desire and the need to return, to work there with my teams, to draw inspiration from the collections and continue exploring the treasures they contain.

M.: The exhibition includes several highly immersive sections. Was it important for you that visitors take an active role in the experience?

M.T.: The exhibition unfolds through themes that are particularly meaningful to me, many of which resonate with objects and stories found within the Mucem’s collections. And what better way to reveal the “invisible” — both a part of the museum’s reserves and my own studio — than by inviting visitors behind the scenes through faithful reconstructions?

The exhibition is therefore designed to actively engage visitors, making them participants in their own journey. Alongside these reconstructed spaces, there are moments dedicated to contemplation and imagination, with areas where visitors can sit, observe, listen, feel and reflect.

At other times, the exhibition becomes a free-flowing journey through spectacular works — spectacular in the literal sense of offering a spectacle — designed to create a deeply sensory encounter.

Together, these elements reflect the values of sharing and movement that both the Mucem and I are committed to championing.

M.: You have also created several works especially for the exhibition. Could you tell us about them?

M.T.: Together with my team, I wanted to create three original works for the exhibition.

The photographic series grew out of my desire to collaborate with the Franco-Indian actress Kalki Koechlin, whose dual cultural heritage naturally embodies the Franco-Indian dialogue that runs through my work. Photographed at the Louvre Museum, the project pays tribute to textile craftsmanship and to the invisible hands behind couture ateliers.

Inspired by UNESCO’s concept of “Living Human Treasures”, the work celebrates, elevates and brings visibility to the gestures of sewing and garment-making, while honouring the women and men whose expertise keeps these skills alive.

I also wanted to revisit Ça charbonne, an exhibition originally conceived in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic to highlight those who continued working despite the crisis. For the Mucem, the project has been reimagined in collaboration with dancers from the Paris Opera Ballet. Classical dance is brought into the Hautes-Noues district of Villiers-sur-Marne, creating a dialogue between worlds, gestures and bodies that would not ordinarily meet.

Finally, my visual universe and graphic language inspired a series of textile creations produced by the Fil Rouge workshop. These works became the emblem of a project developed at the Stade Vélodrome alongside Vanessa Le Moigne, a person I greatly admire and whose values resonate strongly with my own, bringing a particular authenticity and depth to the exhibition.

Together, these works fully embody the connection between contemporary creation, popular culture and heritage.

Mossi Traoré: Fashion, Too is on view at the Mucem in Marseille until 11 November 2026.

→ Discover our art itinerary in Marseille and Aix-en-Provence