Labour De Amour

The first thing that makes for a harmonious match between fashion-art duo Ruben and Isabel Toledo and the collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts is the shared baseline value of beauty rooted in labor. The majority of the DIA’s world-class collection was funded by the rise of the automotive industry — articulated most literally in the famed interior frescoes by Diego Rivera, the Detroit Industry Murals — and the Toledos have similarly built a bespoke fashion empire out of working-class Cuban immigrant roots. Their intensely collaborative process, combination of art and design, and hands-on attention to materiality shine through in Labor of Love, an ambitious and unprecedented exhibition of original garment works, interspersed with and responding to pieces on display in the DIA galleries.

Guests enjoyed a private curated tour of this breathtaking exhibit followed by an authentic Cuban lunch at Vincente’s. Mama Vincente even prepared her “secret family” appetizer as a surprise addition to the meal.