LONDON — Dunhill has caught the Frieze Masters fever.
The British luxury menswear brand is returning to London’s Regent Park, where every October the art fair comes to town with Frieze London, for contemporary art, and Frieze Masters, where the focus is on historic pieces.
In its third year of partnership with Frieze Masters, Dunhill has named Arturo Galansino, director general of Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, as curator for the 2025 lineup, where seven talks will be taking place from Monday through Saturday.
Arturo Galansino
Courtesy Dunhill
The lineup includes conversations between artists, curators and writers including Emilie Hammen and Elizabeth Way; Christopher Rothko and Carl Strehlke; William Dalrymple and Susan Stronge; Glenn Brown and Arturo Galansino; Matthew Harle and Edward George; Tracey Emin and Nicholas Cullinan, and Antony Gormley and Galansino.
The talks will all center around the theme of “Woven Histories” and how art has played a hand in influencing today’s creative landscape.
The history of art is something that’s integral to Simon Holloway, Dunhill’s creative director, who staged his first show at the Duveen wing of the National Portrait Gallery, which was opened by King George V and Queen Mary in 1939.
“It had just been rehung with a whole new curation of portraiture that felt culturally aware and added a layer of richness to the entire proceedings. It added a layer of cultural relevance to the presentation,” he said in an interview.
Dunhill’s partnership with Frieze Masters started right after Holloway joined the brand. And it’s a pairing that makes a lot of sense — the Dunhill clientele is as refined and interested in the history of art and craftsmanship as it is in a Princes of Wales check suit.
Dunhill at Frieze Masters.
Courtesy
“For Dunhill, it’s a wonderful opportunity to have a reflection of the quality that we always aspire to. It’s also a cultural engagement with incredibly interesting dynamic people from the art world. Sometimes the talks themselves have covered quite controversial territory,” Holloway said. “Sometimes it’s more about the deep inspiration of whoever is talking and it’s a really rare opportunity for anyone watching to enjoy something completely different and step outside of their own life. It’s also a reflection of the world in which we inhabit.”
The talks take place inside an intimate cream-colored auditorium that’s shaped like a tent with plush furnishings in beige tones. And Dunhill invites its C-suite executives, members of the press and its clients to the events.
Dunhill at Frieze Masters.
The Richemont-owned brand is taking a page out of its parent company’s rulebook of contributing to cultural events without necessarily thinking about how it translates into sales. Van Cleef & Arpels has lent itself to dance; Cartier to the polo and Goodwood; and Dunhill to the arts and spaces filled with the artworks of Lucio Fontana and Man Ray.
“It’s really seen as a reflection of the brand, rather than an opportunity to place product. We do dress people if they ask, but we don’t ever insist. Frieze Masters fits into our program of cultural association at Dunhill,” Holloway explained.
The creative director joined Dunhill in 2023 and has since been focusing his inspirations on cinema and personalities of men such as the Duke of Windsor, Bryan Ferry and Charlie Watts. And while Dunhill may have deep roots, that doesn’t mean Holloway will be filling his shows or dressing his clients in clothes of yore.
A look from Dunhill’s spring 2026 collection.
Courtesy of Dunhill
“The Dunhill man doesn’t want to be dressed like a painting. He’d rather have the artwork on the wall or a statue surrounding him,” Holloway said. “I think that’s really important. We make the clothes that collectors and curators enjoy — and this goes back to my mantra about the joy of menswear. And certainly in our past, we have some really beautiful historic pieces,” Holloway said.
One example is the lighter from 1936 that Dunhill has in its archives that belonged to Pablo Picasso, where the cap has been engraved with a portrait of Dora Maar.
If Holloway could dress any famous artist in history, he said he would choose the American painter and sculptor Cy Twombly. The designer has even used the artist as an inspiration for some of his collections, specifically the white suit he’s wearing on the cover of his book “Homes & Studios.”
The designer has been building up his own collection of artwork — modest in comparison to what’s on display at Frieze Masters. He recently acquired a piece by João Gabriel from O-Town House gallery in Los Angeles and a Peter Hujar photograph.
Dave Benett/Getty Images for dun
He finds walking around Frieze Masters to be pure escapism and relishes in people-watching.
“People are dripping in double-face cashmere or a gorgeous navy cashmere blazer. What I love about Frieze Masters is the sense of expression, like an upturned collar or a yellow pair of corduroys. There’s a thing about good taste that just emanates through the fair that I absolutely adore,” Holloway said.
His advice for the perfect Frieze Masters outfit includes a raincoat, an umbrella for the unpredictable British weather and an undyed cashmere blazer from Dunhill with a matching turtleneck in a neutral color, a look that’s quintessentially Holloway. He always fits right in.
