Exhibition Archives: T-shirt: Cult – Culture – Subversion

Introduction This exhibition takes a unique position on the history of the T-shirt. It aims to stimulate thinking about fashion as a communicative tool and about our personal consumption and expression of clothing. It also highlights the collecting of T-shirts as a personal archival practice that illustrates how we all own a part of history …

Exhibition Archives: Marian Clayden

Want to learn more about influential women in textiles? Explore our online shop to discover books celebrating the likes of Jacqueline Groag, Shirley Craven, Lucienne Day and Dame Zandra Rhodes. Plus plenty of titles offering tips on how to expand you're own textile and crafting skills! We do hope you’ve enjoyed exploring the Fashion and …

Schiaparelli: Shocking Pink and Shooting Stars

Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973), or Schiap, as she liked to be known, produced clothes that were not just beautiful, but whimsical and interesting. She believed that clothes should be architectural; "that the body must never be forgotten and it must be used as a frame is used in a building". Construction was always of prime importance.  …

The Techniques of Chintz

Did you know the word chintz refers to a technique, rather than to the fabric itself? As we look ahead to Chintz: Cotton in Bloom, we thought it would be fitting to explore the techniques used to create the textiles that will be displayed during this exhibition. Origins: From India to Europe The word chintz …

Zandra Rhodes: Couture Tutorials

Ahead of the our up-coming online event, Zandra Rhodes in Conversation, we've pulled together some fabulous videos from Dame Zandra and her team, exploring some of the specialist techniques used to create her couture garments. Dame Zandra's studio and iconic Rainbow Penthouse, located in the the same building as the Fashion and Textile Museum, are …

Half Term: Designing Decades

We want to help learners of all ages keep drawing this half term (and beyond!), so we've compiled a selection a excerpts from our best-selling book, How to Draw Like a Fashion Designer. Written by the Fashion and Textile Museum's Head of Exhibitions, Dennis Nothdruft, the book guides young fashionistas through the whole process of …

Kaffe Fassett: Paintings

Although he is better known for his kaleidoscopic knitting, quilts and needlework, Kaffe Fassett began his career as a painter. At the age of 19, he won a scholarship to study at The Boston Museum of Fine Arts School. Less than a year later, he left to paint in London. Kaffe would move permanently to England in 1964, following a dinner party where he encountered …

Sir Terence Conran: Pioneer of British Design

Sir Terence Conran, who died last week at the age of 88, was a visionary designer and entrepreneur whose business acumen transformed post-war British living. A “Bauhaus-educated chap” (as he described himself in an interview with Vanity Fair), Conran’s modernist principles and desire to democratise design have had a lasting impact on contemporary Britain. Image: …

Exhibition Archives: Knitwear – Chanel to Westwood

Introduction  Knitting is one of the most fundamental textile techniques, produced from a continuous yarn and simple needles, yet its origins are shrouded in the mists of time. Early examples of knitting dating from Coptic and Egyptian cultures still exist, along with hats, stockings and knitted undergarments from the sixteenth century. While their earliest history …

People’s Princess: The Style of Princess Diana

The Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki was recently announced to be taking over the role of Diana, Princess of Wales in the final two series of Netflix’s The Crown. Debicki will be picking up from Emma Corrin, whose performance is hotly anticipated in the upcoming fourth series (due for release this November). Pictures of Corrin on set show that the costume department have remained particularly faithful to Diana's sartorial transformation from shy “Sloane Ranger” to the most …