GUESS celebrates Marilyn Monroe: the exhibition at MUDEC and the capsule collection. A project that combines fashion, photography, and contemporary culture.

There's a precise moment when fashion stops being just a product and becomes a cultural narrative. This is what happens with the new GUESS project dedicated to Marilyn Monroe , which in 2026 takes shape through a perfectly integrated dual narrative: on the one hand, a photography exhibition at the MUDEC in Milan, on the other, a capsule collection that translates that imagery into contemporary garments.

The project, titled "Beyond the Icon – Marilyn Monroe. A Centennial Tribute by GUESS," was conceived to mark a symbolic anniversary: the centennial of Marilyn Monroe's birth, which falls on June 1, 2026, and is intertwined with the brand's 45-year history. It's not just a celebration, but a broader project that connects the visual archive, brand identity, and new forms of storytelling.

The exhibition, hosted at MUDEC – Museo delle Culture, represents the cultural heart of the project. Open to the public from April 21 to June 24, 2026 , with free admission, it is part of the Milan Design Week and Fuorisalone calendar, strengthening the dialogue between fashion, art, and contemporary design. The exhibition is structured through three key perspectives of 20th-century photography: Bernard of Hollywood, Sam Shaw, and Milton H. Greene, photographers who played a key role in shaping Marilyn Monroe's public image.

The photographs on display don't just capture the diva's glamour, they also reveal her complexity, alternating iconic images with more intimate and candid moments. The result is a multilayered narrative that explores how Marilyn became a universal symbol of femininity, but also a figure capable of redefining the relationship between image, identity, and self-determination. It is precisely this deeper dimension that makes the exhibition particularly timely, transforming it into something more than a simple retrospective.

In this context, fashion enters the scene as a natural extension of the narrative. The exhibition also becomes the venue for the presentation of the Marilyn Monroe™ Capsule Collection , creating a direct dialogue between the archive images and their contemporary reinterpretation. The collection draws on the aesthetic codes that defined the diva's imagery and reimagines them through the language of GUESS, maintaining a balance between heritage and modern attitude.

The capsule collection

To truly understand the meaning of this capsule collection, it's helpful to go back to 1981, when GUESS introduced the famous three-zip Marilyn jeans , a garment destined to revolutionize denim. At a time when jeans were still perceived as functional garments, that slim-fit style brought an aesthetic strongly inspired by cinema and the sensuality of the great divas into everyday wear. It was a direct reflection of Paul Marciano's vision, which has always built the brand's identity around a precise idea of glamour, capable of fusing European chic with the allure of old Hollywood.

Today, that aesthetic code is revived and updated. Marilyn jeans are back in a contemporary version, with new washes and fits designed for the present, becoming the starting point for a collection that develops around highly recognizable silhouettes. Halterneck dresses, bustier tops, cropped denim jackets, and capri pants build a wardrobe that immediately recalls the aesthetic of the 1950s, but with a more dynamic and contemporary approach.

Capri pants, in particular, perfectly capture this dialogue between past and present. Born in the late 1940s and early 1950s and linked to the imagery of Mediterranean vacations, they became a symbol of relaxed elegance thanks to icons like Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, and Marilyn Monroe. In the GUESS capsule collection, this silhouette is reimagined for a new generation, while maintaining its iconic appeal.

The work on materials and prints also contributes to building a coherent narrative. Graphics inspired by Marilyn's photographic archive intertwine with polka dot motifs, cherry prints, and plaid patterns, creating a balance between nostalgia and contemporaneity. Denim is reinterpreted through updated treatments, while the garments' proportions reflect a younger, more immediate aesthetic. The result is a collection that doesn't simply reference the past, but uses it as a tool to construct a contemporary language.

According to Paul Marciano , the heart of the project lies in Marilyn Monroe's authenticity, a quality that has made her an enduring symbol of American femininity. Her style was a form of personal expression, and this very idea is now being embraced by GUESS to offer a new interpretation of the diva. No longer an unattainable role model, but a figure who invites every woman to become her own muse, rewriting the concept of femininity in a contemporary key.

The Marilyn Monroe™ Capsule Collection will be available from April 2026 on GUESS.com, in the brand's stores, and at select international retailers, confirming the project's global reach. However, it is precisely its connection to the MUDEC exhibition that makes it particularly relevant: not just a product launch, but the culmination of a narrative spanning photography, film, and fashion.

In a landscape where brands are seeking new ways to construct authentic narratives, GUESS chooses to do so through an exhibition format, transforming an icon of the past into a tool for interpreting the present. The capsule thus becomes the tangible translation of a collective imagination, while the exhibition represents its visual memory. And it is in this balance between archive and contemporaneity that the project finds its most compelling strength.