De Montfort University Leicester To Open Major Exhibition Celebrating Fashion Icon Dame Zandra Rhodes

Leicester, UK – October 2026 – De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) will open a landmark exhibition celebrating the work of fashion icon Dame Zandra Rhodes, following her decision to donate a significant part of her personal archive to the university.

Zandra Rhodes: Archive Unfolded will showcase highlights from a donation spanning six decades of Rhodes' career, from 1964 to 2025, featuring thousands of objects including licensed work, press cuttings, film, opera material and colour transparencies.

The gift follows Dame Zandra's Honorary Doctorate of the Arts from DMU in 2023, when she announced her intention to place a key part of her archive with the university's Special Collections.