Founded in 2016, through the generous support of the Quintin Hogg Trust, the archive collects, conserves, documents, exhibits, and interprets menswear, to enable it to be used as a resource tool to inform contemporary design practice and to further the understanding of menswear as a distinct design discipline.  

​

Its primary purpose is as a teaching collection for students to support their design practice and to create new knowledge around menswear, its history, materiality, and social meaning. Additionally, industry users include major British and international menswear brands. The archive also organises menswear exhibitions.  

The Archive currently consists of over 1700 artifacts and spans the last 120 years. It features predominantly garments designed and made in the UK or those that have influenced the development of British menswear and style.

The archive includes pieces from Alexander McQueen, Craig Green, Stone Island, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Nutter, Liam Hodges, Carol Christian Poell, C.P. Company, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Calvin Klein, Meadham Kirchhoff, Kim Jones, Aitor Throup, Vivienne Westwood, Mr Fish, Irvine Sellars, Umbro, adidas, Nanamica, Belstaff, Barbour, Burberry, Maison Margiela, Jeremy Scott, Vexed Generation, Aquascutum, Levi’s, BodyMap, Jeremy Scott, Berghaus, Penfield, Griffin, and Comme Des Garcons. 

​

Additionally, the archive holds an extensive range of utilitarian and uniform garments from military services (Army, Navy and Royal Air Force), police and fire services, and British workwear including General Post Office and British Rail.