Loans to External Exhibitions
Over the last few years, the Westminster Menswear Archive has loaned several significant garments from its collection to a number of international exhibitions, including those listed below.
Workwear
Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam
26 March 2023 to 10 September 2023
An extensive new fashion exhibition dedicated to workwear has opened at the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam featuring several rare garments from the Westminster Menswear Archive. It includes an extremely rare jacket known as the beekeeper, designed by Moreno Ferrari in 2000 for the Italian sportswear brand C.P. Company and inspired by studying actual beekeeper suits. In addition, the Westminster Menswear Archive also loaned an example of a modern-day beekeeper suits.
A Japanese Sashiko fireman's coat, a 19th century British workwear smock, a French chainmail apron, a pair of British Police CBRN overboots, and an American firefighters proximity suit from the Westminster Menswear Archive are also included in the exhibition.
Tartan
V&A Dundee
1 April 2023 to 14 January 2024
Tartan at the V&A Dundee celebrates the global story of a unique pattern - how the rules of the grid have inspired creativity from the everyday to the sublime.
It is Scotland's first major exhibition in 30 years focusing solely on the iconic textile and pattern, and features several garments from the Westminster Menswear Archive, including a tartan evening jacket from the 1950s, BOY London punk bondage trousers, a man's tartan smock dress by Gucci, a CC41 Utility sweatshirt top, and a Palm Angels tartan tracksuit jacket.
Also on show is a full runway look from Owen Edward Snaith, who graduated from BA Fashion Design in 2022 and whose outfit was acquired by the Westminster Menswear Archive last year. The Great Fishwife couture kilt ensemble by Owen Edward Snaith is a radical reworking of a traditional féileadh-mór, or belted plaid, and is made from his 'Incentive' tartan, which was specially woven for him by Taffled Threads in Alloa, Scotland.
Dandy Style
Manchester Art Gallery
7 October 2022 to 1 May 2023
Dandy Style, a prominent new exhibition at the Manchester Art Gallery that explores 250 years of menswear from the 18th century to the present day, includes several significant loans from the Westminster Menswear Archive.
In the section devoted to the Tailored Dandy are several outfits from the WMA including a British Army Grenadier Guards Drummer Tunic made by Kashket & Partners Ltd in 1989. Harry Styles wore a similar design in a photo for Another Magazine taken by Alasdair McLellan.
Also featured is a late-1980s John Richmond double-breasted black blazer with leather sleeves that have been hand-painted with tattoo motifs, and Nicholas Daley's 2019 orange and dark blue track suit that he designed for Fred Perry.
Within the Decorated Dandy section are several outfits from the WMA, including a Martine Rose Printed Denim Jacket from Spring Summer 2012. The jacket features an all-over print which includes the words 'WILD BOY', 'Faster' 'VORTEX' and 'Martine Rose'; symbols including the CND peace sign; and various other images and animal prints.
Two other pieces from the WMA are featured. A man's cotton jersey jumpsuit with an asymmetric print designed by David Holah and Stevie Stewart of BodyMap and manufactured by Ken Moore Ltd in England is on display. This is next to a hand painted canvas Jacket from Craig Green's Autumn Winter 2014 collection. This modern take on camouflage was hand-painted and hand-printed, creating a complex and multi-layered pattern to confuse and dazzle the eye.
C.P. Company Cinquanta
Base Milano, Milan
15 – 17 January 2022
The 'CINQUANTA' exhibition features a retrospective of Italian sports and casual wear from the past five decades. The exhibition showcases exclusive C.P. COMPANY archive pieces alongside original material, the projects that shaped the brand's history, and a special section devoted to the 50th anniversary activities and collaborations.
Style in Revolt
T-10/SKP-S, Beijing, China
16 December 2021 – Tuesday 1 March 2022
In the first exhibition of its kind in China, Style in Revolt is the story of street culture narrated through the lens of its most influential figures. By bringing together the voices of artists, fashion designers, photographers, graphic designers, magazine editors, street culture aficionados and creative polymaths, the exhibition both informs and inspires audiences through an authentic, multi-sensory experience.
Opening in December 2021 at T-10/SKP-S Beijing for four months, Style in Revolt takes visitors through the evolution of street culture’s manifestations in three movements: The Genesis (1982-2005) The Boom (2000-2021) and The Now (2015-2021).
The Westminster Menswear Archive loaned several garments from Witches, Vivienne Westwood, and Malcolm McLaren's final collection for their World's End label for A/W 1983/4 to the exhibition.
C.P. Company Qinquanta
Darwen, Lancashire
1– 10 October 2021
C.P. Company presents a retrospective dedicated to five decades of Italian sportswear and Massimo Osti's lasting legacy as part of the 2021 British Textile Biennial. The exhibition will include exclusive C.P. Company archive pieces from the label's illustrious history. Along with the exhibition, a series of activities will be held, including student workshops and panel discussions featuring speakers from the brand as well as respected names in sportswear and casual culture.