Donations
The Westminster Menswear Archive is extremely grateful to the companies and individuals that have donated important objects to our collection.
The archive is obliged to make sure that every acquisition is in line with its collection policy and that we have the resources to store and care for each item appropriately. Therefore, it is not always possible for us to accept donations of objects. We may, however, be able to suggest an alternative recipient, so please do contact us if you have something you would like to give.
For more information about donating an object, contact Dr Danielle Sprecher.
E: mensweararchive@westminster.ac.uk
T: 020 3506 7950
Calvin Klein Black and silver mylar one-button jacket
Vollebak Donation
Vollebak, the British clothing company that specialises in men's sportswear and adventure clothing, has donated several garments to the Westminster Menswear Archive.
Satish Tailor, the company's design director, visited the archive with the rest of the company’s design team. He brought with him a selection of garments produced by the company since 2015, including the Relaxation Hoodie, Full Metal Jacket, Solar Charged Jacket, Indestructible Jacket, Condition Black Ceramic Jacket, and 100 Year Hoodie.
This is a fantastic addition to the Westminster Menswear Archive, which is primarily a teaching collection that allows students to gain a greater understanding of the materiality of design by examining existing garments. As a result, they are better informed about their own practice and, hopefully, will make better, more informed decisions in the future regarding their use of materials, processes, and construction.
Pictured is Vollebak's Full Metal Jacket from 2020.
7L Down Parka
Sevenstore Donation
Donated by the Liverpool-based retailer SEVENSTORE to coincide with the C.P. Company's 50th anniversary exhibition in Darwen, Lancashire.
This Metropolis Tracery jacket by C.P. Company is a reinterpretation of their original Metropolis jacket from 1997 and is constructed from Memri, a polyester and nylon micro-fibre material with a sublimation-printed, crease-resistant surface. The jacket features two flapped pockets on the upper chest. The side pocket on the left closes with Velcro, while the side pocket on the right closes with two black poppers. On the lower front, there are two large Velcro-fastened pockets with Velcro flaps. On the left side, between the upper and lower pockets, there is a fifth sideways pocket with a Velcro-attached large rubber square bearing the words C.P. Company.
The sublimation print, referred to as Tracery, is applied to the jacket using heat and pressure to transfer ink to the jacket at various stages of construction to create a shadow effect that emphasises different aspects of construction based on its thickness.
7L Donation
British design brand 7L recently visited the archive and donated the 415-L7 Down Parka, which is from their A/W19 Trek collection.
The parka is made using Bluesign® approved technical fabrics developed by Schoeller® Switzerland. The 415-L7 Down Parka is constructed with Schoeller® wb-formula and c-change technology.
It is filled with 800 FP Grey Goose Down, Sustainable Down Source (SDS), certified by Responsible Down Standard (RDS). The garment’s outer shell uses ultrasonic welding to create the chamber-like texture of the 415-L7’s exterior. This process applies high-frequency ultrasonic acoustic vibrations to the main outer fabrics under pressure to weld layers of fabric together.
7L Down Parka
Peter Jensen Donation
Peter Jensen generously donated a personal selection of twenty-six pieces from his personal archive of his label’s menswear collections. The pieces include knitwear, tailoring, shirts and accessories from 2001-2014. The donated garments reflect Jensen’s use of colour, print and playfulness in his designs.
Jensen was born in Denmark and completed an MA in menswear design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. He established his label in 1999 and designs both menswear and womenswear for his brand.
Peter Jensen wool Dinosaur jumper
Calvin Klein Donation
The Archive has recently been given a collection of 69 pieces from the PVH Archives, New York dating from 2007-2013. PVH is the parent company of CALVIN KLEIN, TOMMY HILFIGER, and other fashion brands. The garments include CALVIN KLEIN Collection runway duplicate samples, alternate colourways of runway samples and commercial samples.
All of the pieces donated are from the period that Italo Zucchelli was the Men's Creative Director of CALVIN KLEIN Collection (2004-2016). Zucchelli was known for his attention to structure and for incorporating new and untraditional materials into his collections. He worked in menswear at Jill Sander and Romeo Gigli before moving to CALVIN KLEIN womenswear in 2001. He ultimately took over as Men’s Creative Director upon Mr Klein’s departure from the company after the sale of Calvin Klein, Inc. to PVH in 2003.
Calvin Klein Beige heat bonded debossed molded foam/wool jacket
Liam Hodges Donation
Liam Hodges who is an alumnus of the BA Fashion Design course at Westminster, kindly donated a substantial number of pieces from his archive, dating back to his Royal College of Art graduation collection right up to his A/W 2017 collection.
The 47 objects include examples of tailoring, outerwear, sportswear, and accessories, including bags, belts and hats. Hodges is known for his mixture of sportswear and youth culture references combined with modern day folkloric elements.
This patchwork long-sleeved sweatshirt is from the Liam Hodges A/W 2016 collection mod1f13d n81on. It features a number plate design "F45T 3R" in bright blue on a white wool jacquard knit which has been stitched onto a cotton patchwork sweatshirt.
Liam Hodges Patchwork Sweatshirt A/W2016
Mark C O'Flaherty Donation
John Flett Black double-breasted cashmere coat.
Donated by fashion and lifestyle journalist Mark C O'Flaherty this double-breasted coat is made of a cashmere, wool and nylon mix. It has contrasting cream plastic buttons, a turndown collar and a tie belt. O’Flaherty remembers wearing the coat in the 1980s at nights out at the Wag Club in London’s Soho and to dinner at the London branch of Pierre Cardin's Maxim's.
John Flett (1963-1991) studied at Worthing Polytechnic and then Saint Martins College of Art, graduating in 1985. He was a contemporary of John Galliano at Saint Martins and was widely tipped to be a fashion star due to his skills in pattern cutting. He quickly became successful, adding menswear in 1986, but his own label closed in 1989.
