Chintz: Cotton in Bloom
18 May - 12 September 2021
Chintz: Cotton in Bloom is a collection with an extraordinary story, spanning hundreds of years and thousands of miles.
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Annie Phillips: Ancient Technique and Contemporary Art
18 May - 15 August 2021
Annie Phillips creates bold, vivid works of art, using an ancient form of wax-resist dyeing, the art of Batik.
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Out of the Blue: Fifty Years of Designers Guild
Extended Exhibition Dates: 14 February – 21 February 2021
Out of the Blue celebrates the work of influential design company Designers Guild. Founded by Tricia Guild OBE, Designers Guild started life in 1970 as a small section of a single shop in Chelsea’s Kings Road.
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Zandra Rhodes: 50 Years of Fabulous
Exhibition Dates: 27 September 2019 – 26 January 2020
The acclaimed British designer Dame Zandra Rhodes DBE founded her eponymous fashion house in 1969 with a small collection. Her prints were Pop Art-infused commentaries on the world of Sixties Britain; the designer felt that there was inherent structure within the pattern that could work with and enhance the shape and construction of a dress.
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Norman Hartnell – A Tribute
Display Dates: 27 September 2019 – 26 January 2020
The first British ‘Fashion Knight’, Sir Norman Hartnell, was responsible for creating an innovative London fashion scene during the 1920s and 1930s.
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Weavers of the Clouds: Textile Arts of Peru
Exhibition Dates: 21 June – 8 September 2019
For decades, designers worldwide have been influenced by the traditional textiles of Peru. Weavers of the Clouds explores the processes and practices of both historic and contemporary Peruvian costume via garments, textiles, photographs, tools, illustrations and paintings, dating from pre-Hispanic to present day.
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Swinging London: A Lifestyle Revolution | Terence Conran – Mary Quant
Exhibition Dates: 8 February – 2 June 2019
Swinging London: A Lifestyle Revolution presents the fashion, design and art of the Chelsea Set; a group of radical young architects, designers, photographers and artists who were redefining the concept of youth and challenging the established order in 1950s London.
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Will You Be My Valentine? Works by Natalie Gibson
Display Dates: 8 February – 2 June 2019
Print designer Natalie Gibson MBE is noted for her love of colour; by her own admission she is a ‘magpie’ with an affinity for pattern and prints.
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Elizabeth Suter: Sharp Lines and Swift Sketches
Display Dates: 8 February – 2 June 2019
Elizabeth Suter (1926–2012) was a well-known illustrator and fashion journalist who for years covered the Paris collections for British magazines and newspapers. From 1953 - 1977 she also inspired designers and illustrators as a teacher and eventual Head of Fashion at St. Martin’s School of Art.
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Cecil Beaton: Thirty from the 30s | Fashion, Film and Fantasy
Display Dates: 12 October 2018 – 20 January 2019
Celebrated as one of Britain’s most influential portrait photographers, Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) was among the greatest visual chroniclers of the Twentieth Century.
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Night and Day: 1930s Fashion and Photographs
Exhibition Dates: 12 October 2018 – 20 January 2019
As a decade of design, the Thirties saw off the excess of the Jazz Age and ushered in the utilitarianism of World War II. As the flapper grew up, so too did her fashions.
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Orla Kiely: A Life in Pattern
Exhibition Dates: 25 May – 23 September 2018
Orla Kiely is one of the UK and Ireland’s most successful designers. Her stylized graphic patterns are innovative, influential and instantly recognisable.
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T: The Typology of The T-Shirt
Display Dates: 9 February – 6 May 2018
In this remarkable compilation of photographs, Susan Barnett views her subjects through a single article of dress: the t-shirt.
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The Secret Life of Scissors
Display Dates: 9 February – 6 May 2018
This display explores the complex multiple lives of scissors; everyday objects, universal tools but also ambiguous ‘things’, surrounded by superstition, myth and symbolism.
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T-SHIRT: CULT – CULTURE – SUBVERSION
Exhibition Dates: 9 February 2018 – 6 May 2018
Explore the T-shirt in the 20th Century through this inspirational exhibition; charting the history, culture and subversion of the most affordable and popular item of clothing on the planet.
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Wallace Sewell: 25 Years of British Textile Design
Display Dates: 20 October 2017 – 21 January 2018
Wallace Sewell is a woven textile design studio founded in 1992 by textile designers Harriet Wallace-Jones and Emma Sewell. Combining rich colour palettes with colourful geometric forms
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Harper’s Bazaar 150 – The First and Last Word in Fashion
Display Dates: 20 October 2017 – 21 January 2018
America's first fashion magazine, Harper's Bazaar has showcased the visions of legendary editors, photographers and stylists and featured the works of noted writers since 1867.
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Louise Dahl–Wolfe: A Style of Her Own
Main Gallery: 20 October 2017 – 21 January 2018
Louise Dahl-Wolfe (1895–1989) is one of the most important female fashion photographers of the first part of the 20th century. This is the first major retrospective of her work in the UK, and a key focus of the exhibition is Dahl-Wolfe’s 22 years as leading contributor to Harper’s Bazaar.
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The World of Anna Sui
Exhibition Dates: 26 May – 1 October 2017
The World of Anna Sui features over 100 looks from the designer’s archive, presenting a roll call of archetypes from Surfers and School Girls to Hippies, Mods and Punks. This is the first time an American designer has been the focus of a retrospective exhibition in the UK.
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Gudrun Sjödén: Four Decades of Colour & Design
Display Dates: 25 April – 7 May 2017
‘Gudrun Sjödén: Four Decades of Colour & Design’ celebrates over 40 years of colourful design and unique expression by the Swedish designer and textile artist.
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JOSEF FRANK Patterns–Furniture–Painting
Exhibition Dates: 28 January – 7 May 2017
Explore the work of designer and artist Josef Frank (1885-1967) in the first-ever UK exhibition of his textiles. The Austrian-born architect moved to Sweden in 1933, where he developed his colourful brand of modernism, working with Estrid Ericson on furniture, glassware, lighting and interior design ideas.
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Full Circle & Recycle – 21st Century Swedish Textiles
Display Dates: 28 January – 7 May 2017
Tom Hedqvist, a founding member of the Swedish design collective 10-gruppen (formed 1970), curates the work of ten textile designers who represent 21st century Swedish design.
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Festival of Textiles 2017
Display Dates: 28 January – 7 May 2017
Discover textile history, tradition, design and making at our spring series of displays, talks and workshops. Organised to coincide with the JOSEF FRANK exhibition, the Festival aims to illuminate contemporary practice and open minds to the ways in which textiles enrich lives.
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1920s JAZZ AGE Fashion & Photographs
Exhibition Dates: 23 September 2016 – 15 January 2017
The 1920s JAZZ AGE exhibition presents a glittering display of haute couture and ready-to-wear fashion from 1919 to 1929. With over 150 garments, this stunning selection reveals the glamour, excess, frivolity and modernity of the decade.
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JAMES ABBE Photographer of the Jazz Age
Display Dates: 23 September 2016 – 15 January 2017
From Hollywood to the Folies Bergère, the glittering stars of the 1920s stage and screen are celebrated in this display of portraits by James Abbe. With perfect posture and knowing smiles, these magically-lit studies provide a candid commentary on early 20th century celebrity.
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London Design Festival: New Artist Textiles from Canada
Display Dates: 16–18 September 2016
This display presents fabric designs by 10 Canadian artists in conjunction with the London Design Festival 2016. Featuring artists Kim Adams, Jaime Angelopoulos, Bill Burns, Lyn Carter, Bonnie Devine, Ed Pien, Tazeen Qayyum, Anu Raina, Seth and Gary Taxali.
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London Fashion Foundation Show
Display Dates: 16 – 18 September 2016
A display of menswear, womenswear, fashion textiles and costume by Newham College Fashion Foundation students, class of 2016.
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MISSONI ART COLOUR
Exhibition Dates: 6 May – 4 September 2016
Explore the creative process of Italian fashion house Missoni in the context of 20th century fine art. One of the most respected exponents of the ‘Made in Italy’ concept, the work of Ottavio and Rosita Missoni is deeply rooted in fine art
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Festival of Textiles 2016
Display Dates: 11 March – 17 April 2016
Discover textile history, tradition, design and making at the Fashion and Textile Museum Festival of Textiles. A series of displays, talks and workshops brings together some of the best and brightest textile developers, artists and designers now working in the UK.
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ART TEXTILES: Marian Clayden
Exhibition Dates: 11 March – 17 April 2016
A retrospective of luxurious art textiles in silk, velvet, cotton and felted wool by internationally collected designer Marian Clayden. The exhibition celebrates the influence of a British-born artist (1937–2015) who transformed psychedelic tie-dyed fabrics into a million-dollar fashion business in the United States.
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Liberty in Fashion
Exhibition Dates: 9 October 2015 – 28 February 2016
Liberty has been at the cutting edge of design and the decorative arts since 1875. The exhibition explores Liberty’s impact on British fashion, from Orientalism and Aesthetic dress in the 19th century, through Art Nouveau and Art Deco in the early 20th century, and the revival of these styles since the 1950s.
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The Art of Pattern
Display Dates: 9 October 2015 – 28 February 2016
Design duo Susan Collier and Sarah Campbell energised Liberty’s textile collections for over 15 years. From scarves to fashion and furnishing fabrics, their painterly patterns paved the way for a vibrant new aesthetic in Liberty prints, including the hugely successful 'Bauhaus' range in 1972.
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RAYNE Shoes for Stars
Display Dates: 22 May – 13 September 2015
Explore a century of sensational British shoes made from extraordinary materials and worn by the world’s most glamorous women, including Vivien Leigh, Marlene Dietrich and Brigitte Bardot. Awarded three Royal Warrants, Rayne made the shoes of Queen Elizabeth II including her wedding shoes.
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RIVIERA STYLE Resort & Swimwear since 1900
Exhibition Dates: 22 May – 13 September 2015
From the English seaside to the Côte d’Azur and California, Riviera Style celebrates fashion at its most fun. With swimsuits and sarongs, brightly patterned beach cover-ups, boat neck Bretons and beach pyjamas, palazzo pants and playsuits, bikinis and burkinis, the exhibition features over 100 years of clothes for leisure.
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Nautical Chic by Amber Jane Butchart
Display Dates: 22 May – 27 August 2015
This display takes inspiration from the pages of Nautical Chic, the new publication by fashion historian Amber Jane Butchart. Charting the influence of the enduring archetypes of the sea on the history of style, from the Officer, the Sailor and the Fisherman, to the Sportsman and the Pirate, that have had a wide reaching impact throughout the course of fashion to contemporary design today.
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A Journey to the Riviera
Display Dates: 22 May – 13 September 2015
King & McGaw, the online art print store, has curated a display of Riviera-inspired prints selected from the archives of British Vogue, P&O Heritage and National Railway Museum to accompany the Riviera Style exhibition.
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MIRROR MAN Andrew Logan Portraits
Display dates: 6 February – 3 May 2015
This display of mirror portraits features Derek Jarman, Anita Roddick, Maria Callas and Marlene Dietrich. Andrew Logan belongs to a unique school of English eccentrics. His work crosses many areas including sculpture, performance art, jewellery, portraiture and painting.
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THEA PORTER 70s Bohemian Chic
Exhibition Dates: 6 February – 3 May 2015
The first-ever exhibition on the fashion and interior design of Thea Porter (1927–2000) who pioneered bohemian chic in the 1960s and 1970s. Her shop in Greek street, Soho opened in 1966 and instantly drew a rock and film star crowd of clients from the Beatles and Pink Floyd to Elizabeth Taylor
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PATTERN Watts’ Architect Wallpapers 1870 to today
Display dates: 19 September 2014 – 18 January 2015
The first-ever museum display on British textile and wallpaper company Watts & Co, ‘PATTERN Watts Architects’ Wallpaper’ celebrates 140 years of hand-blocked wallpapers. Curated by Mary Schoeser, the globally respected historian and author, the display reveals the history, characters and skills that are the lifeline of this very British company.
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Knitwear in Fashion Photography
Display dates: 19 September 2014 – 18 January 2015
A selection of fashion photographs by Norman Parkinson from the Norman Parkinson Archive. This display charts the increasing prominence of knitwear in 20th century fashion with iconic images commissioned by magazines including Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and Queen as well as by knitwear companies.
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KNITWEAR Chanel to Westwood
Exhibition Dates: 19 September 2014 – 18 January 2015
Inspirational vintage fashion knitwear from the 20th century. Highlights include 1920s Chanel jersey, 1930s woollen swimwear, 1970s Bill Gibb and conceptual garments from 1980s and 90s designers Comme des Garçons, Vivienne Westwood and Julien MacDonald.
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Visionary Knitwear
Display dates: 19 September 2014 – 18 January 2015
A showcase of bold visions in contemporary fashion knitwear celebrating new graduate talent. The display features established names Julien Macdonald, Sister by Sibling, Juliana Sissons, Mark Fast, Lucas Nascimento,
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How to Draw Vintage Fashion
Display dates: 19 September 2014 – 18 January 2015
Vintage fashion is currently in vogue. This display coincides with the new book ‘How to Draw Vintage Fashion’ written by the Newham College Fashion and Textile Museum team and published by Thames & Hudson in October 2014.
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El Intercambio Cultural / A Cultural Exchange
Display open until 31 August 2014
This display features 48 rebozos designed for the 21st century by students from Chelsea College of Art & Design and Universidad Iberoamericana. They are the outcome of an international exchange programme in which textile students from both institutions responded to the brief ‘Mestizos – A mix of culture’ to interpret the rebozo through the prism of Mexican culture.
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MADE IN MEXICO The Rebozo in Art, Culture & Fashion
Exhibition Dates: 6 June – 31 August 2014
The Fashion and Textile Museum stages the first-ever exhibition on the rebozo – the classic Mexican shawl made famous in 20th century culture by artist Frida Kahlo. Made in Mexico explores the key role textiles have played in promoting Mexican culture worldwide from the 17th century to the present day.
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MADE IN BRITAIN Walsh Trainers
Display Dates: 31 January – 17 May 2014
‘Made in Britain’ traces the unique history of Walsh trainers, currently the only wholly British owned, designed and manufactured sports footwear brand. Spanning over 50 years, the history of Walsh also illustrates how performance sportswear has become a fashion staple.
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ARTIST TEXTILES Picasso to Warhol
Exhibition Dates: 31 January – 18 May 2014
This exhibition traces the history of 20th century art in textiles. Highlights include work by Georges Braque, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dalí, Sonia Delaunay, Raoul Dufy, Barbara Hepworth, Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso, Ben Nicholson and Andy Warhol.
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Sarah Campbell ‘from start to finish’
Display Dates: 31 January – 17 May 2014
‘from start to finish’ explores Sarah Campbell’s recent design journeys. The display is primarily concerned with the process of designing for textiles from commission and first thoughts – through sketches, roughs and artwork – to the finished product. ‘At heart, I love painting patterns, inventing designs’ says Sarah Campbell
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Fiction in Fashion
Display Dates: 22 October 2013 – 11 January 2014
What have glamorous and fashionable women been reading since 1953? This new display showcases the paperback novels that proved most popular with women readers in post-war Britain. Curated by Sarah Vine, the selection of titles is drawn from the archives of Penguin Books and is displayed alongside glamorous designs by British couture house Bellville Sassoon.
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The Glamour of Bellville Sassoon
Exhibition Dates: 20 September 2013 – 11 January 2014
Bellville Sassoon has been synonymous with high fashion for over 50 years. As Britain’s foremost couture label from the 1960s onwards, founder Belinda Bellville with designers David Sassoon and Lorcan Mullany, dressed many of the world’s most stylish women, including Diana, Princess of Wales.
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Zandra Rhodes: Unseen
Exhibition Dates: 12 July 2013 - 31 August 2013
With spectacular textiles, ravishing dresses and original sketches, Zandra Rhodes Unseen presents a rare opportunity to explore the archive, studio and creative process of one of the world’s most distinctive designers.
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Kaffe Fassett – A Life in Colour
Exhibition Dates: 22 March - 29 June 2013
‘Kaffe Fassett – A Life in Colour’ is a celebration of the work of one of the great practitioners of contemporary craft. This exhibition, the first in London since Kaffe Fassett’s record-breaking show at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1988, features over 100 works within a dramatic installation designed by Sue Timney.
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Hartnell to Amies – Couture By Royal Appointment
Exhibition Dates: 16 November 2012 - 23 February 2013
'Hartnell to Amies: Couture By Royal Appointment' celebrates the timeless elegance of London couture and explores how the Queen’s patronage of ground-breaking British designers helped put London on the international fashion map after the Second World War.
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POP! Design • Culture • Fashion
Exhibition Dates: 6 July 2012 - 27 October 2012
From the poodle skirts and embellished leathers of the rockers through to the Punk era, this exhibition takes in the cool stylings of the Mods, the high baroque of Psychedelia and the kitsch glamour of 70s retro by designers such as Mr Freedom and Miss Mouse.
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Designing Women – Post-War British Textiles
Exhibition Dates: 16 March 2012 - 16 June 2012
Britain was at the forefront of international textile design in the 1950s and 1960s. Three women – Lucienne Day, Jacqueline Groag and Marian Mahler – led this movement. ‘Designing Women’ explores these women’s pioneering role in combining art and manufacturing to change the direction of the modern design industry.
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Catwalk to Cover – A Front Row Seat
Exhibition Dates: 18 November 2011 - 25 February 2012
For many people the catwalk show is something exclusive, seemingly created for a few fashionistas that get to sit in the front row with the result a few outfits in magazines that they will never be able to afford. But there is much more to it than that and this exhibition at the FTM puts the whole process from catwalk to cover under the microscope.
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Tommy Nutter – Rebel on the Row
Exhibition Dates: 20 May 2011 - 22 October 2011
This exhibition explores the Nutter style and also analyses the contribution of this legendary individual in the marketing and branding of a Savile Row company. A range of suits takes the viewer through the changes that Nutter introduced and places his work in the social and historical context of the late 60s to the 1990s.
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Sue Timney and the Design of Timney-Fowler
Exhibition Dates: 19 November 2010 - 25 April 2011
2010 is the 30th anniversary of Timney-Fowler and is marked by an exhibition at the FTM - a retrospective of both Sue's career as a designer and her work with Timney-Fowler, featuring some unique and exclusive material in an exciting, bold display developed in collaboration with Sue.
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Horrockses Fashion: Off the Peg Style in the ’40s and ’50s
Exhibition Dates: 9 July 2010 - 28 October 2010
Horrockses Fashions Limited was the manufacturer of one of the most well-respected ready-to-wear labels of the 1940s and 1950s. The exhibition follows the story of the Horrockses dress from initial fabric and fashion design, to production, promotion and consumption.
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Very Sanderson – 150 Years of English Decoration
Exhibition Dates: 19 March 2010 - 13 June 2010
Sanderson was founded by Arthur Sanderson in 1860 and for the last 150 years has been at the forefront of English decoration - producing the first coordinated collection of mass-produced wallpapers and fabrics in Britain. Celebrating 150 years of the company this exhibition highlights the best of its archive as well as brand new collections.
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Foale and Tuffin – Made in England
Exhibition Dates: 23 October 2009 - 24 February 2010
Foale and Tuffin - Made in England presents a vibrant and inspiring representation of two key British fashion designers of the 1960s and the part they played in creating the changing London scene.
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Undercover: The Evolution of Underwear
Exhibition Dates: 12 June 2009 - 27 September 2009
FTM’s exciting exhibition Undercover traces the evolution of underwear from health garment, shape definer to fashion ‘must have’ - presenting a visual demonstration of how female underwear has evolved as women’s role in society changed.
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Swedish Fashion: Exploring a New Identity
Exhibition Dates: 6 February 2009 - 17 May 2009
This exhibition showcases a new wave of Swedish design talent, with the work of thirteen fashion and jewellery designers who challenge the stereotypical picture of Swedish fashion as blonde, functional and minimal.
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Billy: Bill Gibbs Moment In Time
Exhibition Dates: 24 October 2008 - 18 January 2009
The Fashion and Textile Museum presents a retrospective of the work of one of the most creative designers of 20th Century London fashion.
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Little Black Dress
Exhibition Dates: 20 June 2008 - 25 August 2008
The Fashion and Textile Museum celebrates an icon of modern dressing – the Little Black Dress. This exciting exhibition traces the advent of this wardrobe staple, from its inception in the 1920s to today’s cutting edge creations.
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