When one thinks about luxury fashion, Louisiana might not be the first place that comes to mind. An LSU museum is showcasing how a fashion designer from Louisiana became an American fashion legend.
The LSU Textile & Costume Museum is currently exhibiting fashion designer Geoffrey Beene’s award-winning work. As visitors shuffle through the museum, there are four decades of craftsmanship and art waiting to meet them. The walls of the museum display information about Beene with his sketches, designs and photos.
“Beene eschewed fashion as a trend and instead approached dressing as an artful expression and perhaps even a divine representation of female beauty,” the exhibit reads.
Hailing from Louisiana and trained in Paris, the exhibit shares Beene’s story.
“Mr. Beene was originally from Hainesville, Louisiana, which is a tiny, one stoplight town in the northern part of the state,” said Michael E. Mamp, the museum’s director and curator. “And he went on to be one of the most successful American fashion designers of all time.”

The exhibit touches on every aspect of Beene’s career, from his affinity for polka dots to his use of florals, lace, line and shape. In one part of the exhibit, Beene’s southern heritage is spotlighted through the dresses and ensembles he designed.
All of the garments in the exhibit were donated to the LSU Textile & Costume Museum by Dr. Sylvia R. Karasu, a fan and long-time collector of Beene’s work. She donated 254 pieces with the hope that some of Beene’s work would be preserved in his home state.
Mamp discussed how museum visitors should look at Beene’s unique work, saying they “… have to look closely at the details because he was so focused on excellent craftsmanship, beautiful fabrications, finishing garments in a way that is really more akin to couture versus manufactured ready to wear.”
“He wasn’t interested in necessarily being fashioned forward,” Mamp said, “but just wanted to make beautiful, timeless clothes that people could wear over and over again.”
Mamp explained Beene’s legacy came from how well he constructed his clothes, saying the designer took “high end” approaches to fashion.
“Beautiful silk linings, attached petticoats underneath the skirt,” Mamp said. “Things that outwardly people wouldn’t see, but that make wearing the garment special for the person who puts it on.”

Mamp hopes students leave the museum understanding Beene’s dedication to creating fashionable pieces without compromising quality.
“Beene’s ability to be successful, his commitment and dedication to making beautiful clothes. He never really compromised his standards in that regard,” Mamp said. “It is a testament, I think, to students about what one can achieve if they want it badly enough, and if they work hard enough at it.”
“Coming Home: Geoffrey Beene” will close Jan. 24. The Textile & Costume Museum keeps hundreds of textile and fashion artifacts, preserving and creating space for centuries of human art and clothing. Their next exhibit, “Color Me Fashion,” will open on March 16. Admission to the museum is free.