Kentucky Derby Museum celebrates grand opening of its newest exhibit: Derby Fashion
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (July 31, 2025) – The Kentucky Derby Museum opened its newest exhibit, Derby Fashion, Thursday. As a continuation of the museum's 40th anniversary celebration, the grand opening included a ribbon cutting with Fashion VIPs and special Derby-themed gifts for 50 lucky museum guests.
Fashion has long played a role in the museum’s storytelling, but this new permanent exhibit represents a milestone in that mission. Derby Fashion showcases years of curatorial work to intentionally grow our collection since 2020. It’s the most immersive presentation of Derby fashion to date, blending history, culture, and iconic style in a way only the Kentucky Derby Museum can curate. Derby Fashion features an immersive display of colorful ensembles with sequin-studded jackets, frilly boas, rose-covered dresses, and of course, uniquely crafted Kentucky Derby® hats. Located on the museum's first floor right outside the iconic Great Hall, this new exhibit spreads out along a red carpet, truly creating the magical feeling of walking through a Derby crowd.
"We're thrilled to unveil our newest exhibit featuring both historical pieces and modern-day Derby fashion," said Patrick Armstrong, Kentucky Derby Museum President and CEO. "Especially within the past decade, the museum has been intentional about creating that Derby Day feeling every day. This exhibit helps bring that experience to life and it deserves a permanent place in the museum."
While several outfits on display are from the historic 150th Kentucky Derby in 2024, the museum's fashion collection runs deep -- back to the beginning days at the track in the 1870s. Derby Fashion, an ADA accessible exhibit, includes dozens of pieces on display and more than 150 items to explore though interactive touch-screens. As a way to bring as much of the collection to the public as possible, the touch-screens allow guests to digitally scroll through the archives and learn about history from a variety of time-period pieces, some of which are too fragile to otherwise display.
"Having a permanent exhibit to showcase Derby fashion at the museum was a clear next-step," said Chris Goodlett, Senior Director of Curatorial and Educational Affairs. "Fashion is part of the iconic history at the track, going back more than 150 years. This exhibit really walks you through time, and the added digital aspect gives us the ability to showcase a wide span of our collection."
The museum would like to thank all who loaned or donated items to this collection including the following Fashion VIPs:
• Greg Morehead, McPeek Racing employee
• JD Shelburne, Country music artist
• Jenny Doyle, Photographer
• Sharilyn Gasaway, Part-owner of 2024 Kentucky Derby Winner Mystik Dan
• Steve Wilson, Co-founder at 21c Museum Hotels and Co-owner of Hermitage Farm
• "The Lindas," Dedicated Derby fans
Designed in a way to easily access each display case, Derby Fashion has the unique ability to evolve over time without major exhibit construction. Outfits, hats, and other pieces in the exhibit can be swapped for fresh, new looks following each Derby. This will provide an opportunity to feature more of the museum’s collection as well as possible loans from Derby fans.
The Kentucky Derby Museum, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, now welcomes more than 258,000 guests annually. In the past 10 years alone, it has invested $10 million in exhibit upgrades and facility improvements, ensuring that future generations can explore Derby history in new and engaging ways.
MEDIA NOTE: Photos of the new exhibit, construction, and display items can be downloaded from KDM's Dropbox. A KDM courtesy is required for Dropbox images. Members of the media are invited to schedule interviews with museum leadership or tour the updated exhibit. Contact Darby Beane at 502-814-3030 with any questions or requests.