Justin Dougan-LeBlanc’s Work Acquired by The Met for Permanent Collection

“Deaf Dysmorphia” (2023) From Justin Dougan-LeBlanc’s “Deaf Dysmorphia” collection, this garment explores how the absence of one sense reshapes texture, technique, and silhouette. Zero-waste construction and embedded accessibility merge form and function. Photo by David Grant. “Deaf Dysmorphia” (2023) From Justin Dougan-LeBlanc’s “Deaf Dysmorphia” collection, this garment explores how the absence of one sense reshapes texture, technique, and silhouette. Zero-waste construction and embedded accessibility merge form and function. Photo by David Grant.
“Ear Bindings” (2023) Part of the “Deaf Dysmorphia” series, this sculptural ear-binder obscures the ear, reframing a site of communication as ornament and making absence visible. Photo by David Grant. “Ear Bindings” (2023) Part of the “Deaf Dysmorphia” series, this sculptural ear-binder obscures the ear, reframing a site of communication as ornament and making absence visible. Photo by David Grant.
“Power of Play” (2020) From a gender-fluid collection, “Power of Play” blends Club Kid aesthetics with the embodied architecture of American Sign Language, transforming gesture into structure and the body into a communicative canvas. Photo by David Grant. “Power of Play” (2020) From a gender-fluid collection, “Power of Play” blends Club Kid aesthetics with the embodied architecture of American Sign Language, transforming gesture into structure and the body into a communicative canvas. Photo by David Grant.
School of Fashion professor Justin Dougan-LeBlanc’s wearable sculptures enter The Met’s permanent collection, with works on view in “Costume Art.”

Works by , a professor in the School of Fashion at , have been acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) for its permanent collection—marking a major institutional milestone for the interdisciplinary artist. 

Selected pieces are currently on view in the Costume Institute’s spring 2026 exhibition “Costume Art,” which explores the relationship between fashion and the body across history. By pairing garments with works from across the museum’s collection, the exhibition positions clothing as both artistic expression and cultural artifact, while debuting the Costume Institute’s newly relocated galleries at the center of the museum. 

Wearable Sculpture as Language 

Dougan-LeBlanc presents a series of wearable sculptures rooted in Deaf experience and American Sign Language, examining accessibility, perception, and the body. Constructed through garment and jewelry-based forms, the works are presented on the body as structured objects—positioning fashion not as utility, but as a system of communication. 

Working across sculpture, performance, and dress, the series considers how adornment shapes perception and access to the body. Each piece contributes to a broader framework centered on visibility, constraint, and embodiment—where gesture becomes form and the body becomes a site of translation. 

“I do not see these as garments,” Dougan-LeBlanc says. “They are objects that capture gesture in time, shaping how bodies are perceived and accessed. Rooted in Deaf experience and sign language, the work rethinks the relationship between adornment, constraint, communication, and the body.” 

The museum’s acquisition includes four works: “Deaf Dysmorphia Ensemble” (2023), “Power of Play Ensemble” (2020), “Ear Bindings” (2023), and “Courage: Sign Language Neck Accessory” (2016). Two garments and an accessory from the series are featured in “Costume Art,” on view May 10, 2026 through January 10, 2027. 

A Broader Presence at The Met 

That moment is part of a broader institutional presence in the exhibition. , PhD, associate professor of Fashion Studies, curator of the Fashion Study Collection, and author of multiple books on fashion and the body, served as a consultant on “Costume Art,” working directly with Andrew Bolton, head curator of the Costume Institute. Her contributions focused on conceptual and curatorial development, with particular attention to size diversity and inclusivity. 

“‘Costume Art’ marks a significant moment for fashion at The Met,” Peters says. “By placing the Costume Institute’s galleries at the center of the museum, it signals fashion’s centrality not only to the institution, but to the arts more broadly.” She adds that the exhibition advances the conversation around fashion as art while expanding representations of the body to reflect how people actually live in and through clothing. 

Peters will continue her involvement throughout the exhibition’s run, including participation in public programming and a symposium later this year. 

At , Dougan-LeBlanc teaches fashion design and installation, bringing an interdisciplinary approach that spans sculpture, performance, and technology. In the classroom, students engage with fashion as both creative practice and critical inquiry—an approach reflected in the work now on view at The Met. 

“This is exactly the kind of work we want to see from our faculty and students,” says Colbey Emmerson Reid, PhD, director of the School of Fashion at . “Justin’s practice challenges what fashion can be—pushing it beyond clothing into a space of ideas, identity, and impact. To see that work recognized by The Met speaks to the level of thinking and making happening at every day.” 

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