Fashion and textile exhibitions to visit in 2024
11/02/2024
The UK is home to a variety of museums and galleries that host permanent and seasonal fashion and textile exhibitions.
In 2024, highlights include the Icons of British Fashion exhibition which opens at Blenheim Palace in March and features brands and designers such as Barbour, Bruce Oldfield, Stella McCartney, Turnbull & Asser, Vivienne Westwood and Zandra Rhodes. Fashion City at the Museum of London Docklands until 14 April explores how Jewish Londoners shaped global style, encompassing traditional tailor’s workshops in the East End through to the glitz and glamour of a Carnaby Street boutique at the height of the Swinging Sixties.
The Regenerative Fashion Hub, opening later this month, is the on-the-high street exhibition in east London of research conducted by the Textiles Circularity Centre on sustainable apparel-textiles. INSPIRED: The Art of Making Historical Fashion in Halifax showcases fashion makers from across the country who design and make clothing based on historical dress. It explores the process of how you go from a museum garment or fashion plate to producing an item of historically inspired dress that is ready to wear.
Discover some of the latest exhibitions, galleries and museums below…
- The Fabric of Democracy: Propaganda Textiles from the French Revolution to Brexit
Fashion & Textile Museum, London
Until 3 March 2024
Visit https://www.fashiontextilemuseum.org/exhibitions/the-fabric-of-democracy
- The Fashion Show: Everything But The Clothes
V&A Dundee, Scotland
Until 10 March 2024
Visit https://www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/whatson/exhibitions/the-fashion-show
- Gabrielle Chanel, Fashion Manifesto
V&A Museum, London
Until 10 March 2024
Visit https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/gabrielle-chanel-fashion-manifesto
- Crossing the warp – Thread by Thread exhibition
Whitchurch Silk Mill, Whitchurch
Until 17 March 2024
Visit https://whitchurchsilkmill.org.uk/event/crossing-the-warp-thread-by-thread-exhibition/
- Regenerative Fashion Hub (an exhibition of research conducted by the Textiles Circularity Centre on sustainable apparel-textiles)
Rich Mix, Bethnal Green, London
23 February – 21 March 2024
(The main image above shows the Regenerative Fashion Hub launch at Lab E20, October 2022. Photo credit: Ezzidin Alwan.)
- Tribes – International Textile Exhibition
Until 1 April 2024
Farfield Mill, Sedbergh, Cumbria
Visit https://www.farfieldmill.org/international-textile-exhibition-tribes/
- Fashion City
Until 14 April 2024
Museum of London Docklands, London
Visit https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london-docklands/whats-on/exhibitions/fashion-city
- Umbro 100: Sportswear x Fashion
Westminster Menswear Archive explores 100 years of British sportswear, University of Westminster NW1 5LS
12 – 28 April 2024
Visit https://www.mensweararchive.com/umbro100
- Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art
13 February – 26 May 2024
Barbican Art Gallery, London
Visit https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2024/event/unravel-the-power-and-politics-of-textiles-in-art
- The Biba Story, 1964-1975
22 March – 8 September 2024
Fashion & Textile Museum, London
Visit https://www.fashiontextilemuseum.org/exhibitions/the-biba-story-1964-1975
- Icons of British Fashion (pictured above)
23 March – 30 June 2024
Blenheim Palace Oxfordshire, OX20 1UL
Visit https://www.blenheimpalace.com/whats-on/events/icons-of-british-fashion/
- Unpicking Couture
Until 12 January 2025
Manchester Art Gallery
Visit https://manchesterartgallery.org/event/unpicking-couture/
- Inspired: The Art of Making Historical Fashion
Bankfield Museum, Halifax, West Yorkshire
Until 21 December 2024
Visit https://museums.calderdale.gov.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/inspired-art-making-historical-fashion
- ‘Flax-to-Fabric’ exhibition
Permanent Exhibition
Irish Linen Centre & Lisburn Museum, Lisburn
Visit https://www.lisburnmuseum.com/whats-on/flax-to-fabric-the-story-of-irish-linen/
- Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk
V&A Dundee, Scotland
Opening Saturday 4 May 2024
Visit https://www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/whatson/exhibitions/kimono
- Andy Warhol: The Textiles
North Gallery, South Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
26 January – 18 May 2024
Visit https://dovecotstudios.com/whats-on/andy-warhol-the-textiles
UK Fashion & Textile Museums and Galleries
Fashion & Textile Museum (London)
Victoria & Albert Museum (London)
Museum of London (London)
Design Museum (London)
Fashion Museum (Bath)
Blandford Fashion Museum (Dorset)
Devonshire Collection of Period Costume (Devon)
Gallery of English Costume (Manchester)
Quarry Bank Mill (Cheshire)
Helmshore Mills Textile Museum (Lancashire)
Queen Street Mill (Lancashire)
York Castle Museum (York)
Macclesfield Silk Museums (Macclesfield)
Northampton Museum and Art Gallery (Northampton)
Wardown Park Museum (Luton)
Whitchurch Silk Mill (Hampshire)
Framework Knitters Museum (Nottingham)
Nottingham Industrial Museum (Nottinghamshire)
Coldharbour Mill (Devon)
SCOTLAND
Museum of Ayrshire Country Life & Costume (Kilwinning, Scotland)
Borders Textile Towerhouse (Hawick, Scotland)
Shetland Textile Museum (Böd of Gremista, Lerwick, Shetland)
WALES
National Wool Museum (Drefach Felindre, Llandysul, Carmarthenshire Wales)
Newtown Textile Museum (Newtown, Powys, Wales)
NORTHERN IRELAND
Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum (Lisburn, Northern Ireland)
CHANNEL ISLANDS
Folk & Costume Museum (Guernsey)
This is by no means an exhaustive list. To add a museum or exhibition, please contact info@ukft.org