The V&A will celebrate the extraordinary life and legacy of Freddie Mercury this autumn with Freddie Mercury | Splendid Things, a free trail at V&A South Kensington opening on 24 October 2026. Marking the 80th anniversary of Mercury’s birth, the exhibition will bring together eight iconic looks worn by the legendary Queen frontman, offering visitors an intimate glimpse into the flamboyant style and theatrical persona that helped define one of music’s most enduring cultural icons.
Developed in collaboration with Mary Austin, Mercury’s former fiancée, lifelong friend and confidante of 20 years, the trail features seven costumes generously lent from her collection alongside a further look. Spanning some of the most memorable music videos and performances in pop history, Freddie Mercury | Splendid Things celebrates Mercury not only as a groundbreaking performer and songwriter, but also as a visionary figure whose influence continues to resonate across music, fashion and popular culture.
“I like to be surrounded by splendid things. I want to lead a Victorian life surrounded by exquisite clutter”
Freddie Mercury, 1978
Each of the six stops on the trail will showcase an iconic moment in Mercury’s career, with looks spotlighting his flamboyance, charisma and the multi-disciplinary creativity that helped define his enduring legacy. Each intervention will present some of Freddie’s most memorable looks in dialogue with a unique and dramatic setting in the V&A galleries and will draw synergies with the V&A objects on display, as well as the architecture of the building. Mannequins made specially for the trail will be dynamically posed to reflect Freddie’s charismatic stage presence.
The looks span the 1970s and 80s and include a striking monochrome ensemble worn by Freddie for an early Queen gig at Imperial college and featured on the cover of Queen’s debut album in 1973, as well as the ‘Mercury Wing’ catsuit designed by Wendy de Smet that was worn on stage for Night At the Opera tour, 1975-1976 and seen inthe groundbreaking video for Bohemian Rhapsody and his signature crown and cloak designed by Diana Moseley and worn on the Magic Tour including for Freddie’s last stage appearance with Queen at Knebworth, 1986. The looks take us right through to Mercury’s success as a solo star with the costume worn in the Made in Heaven music video. Accessories and items from Mercury’s personal wardrobe also offer a glimpse of the man behind the Mercury persona.
Designed by award-winning designer Tom Piper – best known for his stage designs in theatre and opera including numerous productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as his Tower of London poppies and V&A exhibition Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser and the Taylor Swift | Songbook Trail – each installation will be distinct and theatrically staged, bringing to life moments in Freddie’s musical career through set dressing and in some spaces – sound and light. There will be a public programme of related events to coincide with the display.
Kate Bailey, Senior Curator of Theatre and Performance at the V&A said:
‘We are thrilled to display Freddie’s most iconic costumes at the V&A, celebrating one of greatest performers and songwriters of all time. Reflecting his love of ‘splendid things’ and his passion for art, design and fashion, Freddie will be very at home in the V&A galleries. ’
Mary Austin explains that Freddie Mercury’s striking costumes were an integral, and carefully considered, part of his stage persona:
‘As the records became more successful and the response grew stronger, his confidence deepened and his performance settled.What I saw now was an artist continuously developing while the seed of who he was stayed intact. The clothes were part of that exploration. Freddie understood early on that he wasn’t just wearing clothes; he was providing an image to match the scale of the space and the vastness of the crowd. He was there to entertain, and everything about what he wore fed into that’ (Mary Austin quoted in “A Life in Lyrics” published by HarperCollins on September 1, 2026).
Mary Austin adds:
‘As we celebrate Freddie’s legacy in what would have been his 80th year, the clothes and costumes to be displayed at the V&A tell a hugely important part of his story both on and off the stage. Never mere accoutrements, his costumes and clothes were essential to his performances, creative vision, and wider self-expression, carefully designed to create a lasting visual and emotional impact that has reached across the generations and still reverberates today.’
Freddie Mercury | Splendid Things will be on at the V&A from 24th October 2026 – 17 January 2027
• Freddie Mercury | Splendid Things will be on display across the V&A’s permanent galleries and is free to visit
For more information visit the V&A HERE
