Fashion History Museum facts for kids
The Fashion History Museum is a super interesting place in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. It's a museum that tells the story of how fashion has changed over the years. It was started in 2004 by two people, Jonathan Walford and Kenn Norman. The museum is a non-profit group, which means it's run for a good cause, not to make money.
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Museum History
How It Started
Before helping to start the Fashion History Museum, Jonathan Walford was the first curator (the person who looks after the collections) at the Bata Shoe Museum. Jonathan has been collecting old clothes and fashion items since the 1970s. He found pieces at auctions, garage sales, and even saved some from the trash! He has also written several books about fashion.
Today, Jonathan is the museum's Director and Curator. The other founder, Kenn Norman, is the head of the museum's board. He has a background in money matters, planning projects, and design.
Traveling Shows
For its first ten years, the museum didn't have a permanent home. So, they created special exhibitions that traveled all over Canada and even to other countries! Their shows went as far as Hong Kong and Bahrain. In 2013, they had a test gallery in a mall in Cambridge, Ontario. Almost 8,000 people visited in just four and a half months!
A New Home
In June 2015, the museum found a permanent home. It moved into a 3,000 square foot building that used to be a post office. This old post office was built in 1929 in a part of Cambridge called Hespeler.
The museum kept and fixed up the original shiny floors. They also put in new lights that look like old ones. People from the public even helped pay to fix the big clock above the museum's front doors. Cambridge used to be a big center for making textiles (like fabrics). So, a fashion museum fits perfectly with the town's history!
Amazing Collection
The museum has a huge collection of over 10,000 items! These items show fashion from many different times and places. For example, they have what might be the oldest European shoe worn in North America. It's from around 1660 and was supposedly worn in New Amsterdam (which is now New York City).
They also have fancy dresses made by Adrian. He was a famous designer for Hollywood movies. And for something completely different, they even have handbags from the 1970s that were made from cigarette packs!
Exciting Exhibitions
Even before they had their current building, the museum created many traveling exhibitions and pop-up shows. These shows let people see amazing fashion items up close.
Past Exhibitions
The museum has hosted many different types of exhibitions over the years. Here are just a few examples:
- In 2009, Open Drawers showed highlights from their collection.
- Talkin' Bout My Generation in 2009 focused on 1960s fashion.
- The Towering Art of the Shoe in 2010 showed high-heeled shoes from 1780 to 1980. This exhibition even traveled to China!
- Nuclear Fashion in 2011 looked at fashion advertising from 1946 to 1964.
- A Shoe Story in 2012 also featured shoes from 1780 to 1980 and traveled to Bahrain.
- In 2013, they had several shows at their pilot gallery, like Paisley and Plaid: Recurring Patterns in Fashion.
Exhibitions in Their New Home
When the museum opened its current gallery in June 2015, it had several new exhibitions:
- Treasures from the Collection
- Back to the Eighties
- What to do with an old post office?
- Punks and Posers: 1980s Portraits from New York and London
In 2016, some of the interesting exhibitions included:
- To Meet the Queen: What to Wear in the Presence of Royalty
- Tying the Knot: 200 Years of Wedding Attire
- Wild and Rare: Fashion and Endangered Species
Some exhibitions in 2017 celebrated Canadian fashion and history:
- Dior: 1947–1962
- Fashioning Canada Since 1867
- Jane Austen's World: 1792 - 1817
Recent Exhibitions
In 2020 and 2021, the museum had to cancel all its exhibitions because of COVID. Instead, they used that time to make improvements to the gallery space.
The museum reopened in February 2022 with exciting new shows, including:
- 300 Years of Fashion - This show featured 40 outfits from 1720 to 2020.
- Frock On - This exhibition explored a century of teenage fashion, music, and culture from 1920 to 2020.
- Specs Appeal - A cool look at the history of eyewear (glasses!).
- Portraits from Mali - This show displayed photographs by Malick Sidibe and Seydou Keïta from 1951 to 1976.
