Cristóbal Balenciaga, a radical of elegance is an exhibition and editorial proposal conceived to be carried out through a collaboration between the Museum of Industrial Arts in Prague and the Museum of Costum in Madrid. These institutions share a long history and have undergone recent updating processes, adapting their aims and means in order to optimise their contribution to society. Based on similar concepts, the two museums focus their contents on crafts, applied arts and design, developing their work in relation to their respective local and international contexts. The two institutions are also committed to exploring innovative ways to educate, engage the public and encourage debate about the world around us. The growing interest in fashion as a cultural subject has led to a strong trend from which the Museo del Traje was born (in 2004, the museum, previously focused on ethnography, was re-founded as a museum of clothing and fashion). This has also affected the agenda of the Museum of Industrial Arts in Prague. The excellent exhibition Mad Silkman. Zika & Lída Ascher: textiles and fashion, curated by Konstantina Hlaváčková, is the latest example of the Czech museum’s commitment to textile creation.