True masters of minimalism. They are a fashion rarity these days were it not for designers like Narciso Rodriguez, who, over the past two decades, continued to evolve the minimalist narrative and kept it at the forefront of American fashion.

His impressive oeuvre is now on show at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University. Narciso Rodriguez: An Exercise in Minimalism, which opened over the weekend, features over 40 of his designs along with never-seen-before archival material, sketches, videos and the work of artists who have inspired the designer’s work.

A museum show wasn’t top of mind for Rodriguez when ELLE Magazine Creative Director Alex Gonzalez approached him with the idea.

“He explained to me how he’s been coming to my shows for many years, and how he saw this minimalist aspect that was always present and kept evolving,” Rodriguez said.

The Frost Art Museum partnered with ELLE on the exhibition and the opening night event, and Gonzalez co-curated the show with Klaudio Rodriguez, Curator of the Frost Art Museum FIU.

Rodriguez called the entire process a “learning experience,” which involved going back into his archives, which are near-complete but for the first eight collections.

“Looking at it through Alex’s eyes and then bringing in Klaudio and having his perspective was an interesting exercise in minimalism to me,” Rodriguez added. “I saw a thread through every collection, whether it was through construction, graphics, or the use of black and white that is always present.”

The exhibition is open to the public through January 8, and will be headlining the museum’s Art Basel Season for 2016.

“The strength of Narciso Rodriguez: An Exercise in Minimalism lies in the artistry and working process of the designer who, like a sculptor or painter, finds inspiration in the built and natural world to sketch out his ideas,” the museum’s director Dr. Jordana Pomeroy said.

Rodriguez hopes that visitors to the exhibition will see a seriousness that exists within each design. “There is a great deal of thought that goes into the construction and purity of my designs,” he said.

Of all working American designers today, Rodriguez probably best grasps the evolution and continuing gravitas of minimalism.

“It’s a word used to categorize designers in a much broader sense,” he said. “Some minimalists are very monastic, and then there are designers like myself who like to think of it more as a form of purism.”