Europeana Fashion is the third thematic collection to join the Europeana platform

This new thematic collection is a collaboration between the Europeana Foundation, who delivered the web platform, and the Europeana Fashion International Association, who has been gathering and curating digitised fashion content from the past 5 years. A non-profit organisation, the Association brings together fashion institutions to encourage the valorisation and re-use of fashion heritage online.

Europeana Fashion is now fully integrated into the Europeana platform, living alongside Europeana Art and Europeana Music. It will benefit from the technical advancements and new features developed across the platform. It also enables fashions curators, academics, students and enthusiasts exploring the Fashion collection to browse and see connections to other areas of interest. Marco Rendina, Technical Director, says “we are delighted to provide access to more than a million fashion items to the bigger Europeana family, and share the powerful advantages the platform has to offer”.

The collection brings together an incredible wealth of content including historical clothing and accessories, contemporary designs, catwalk photographs, drawings, sketches, catalogues and videos contributed by nearly 40 museums and fashion brand archives from 13 European countries. It introduces new galleries curating the collection by themes, such as fashion illustrations, sportswear, prints, or Haute Couture, and highlights by fashion experts.

Domino or mantle made of silk lustring, England, 1770-1780, Victoria & Albert Museum, CC BY-SA; Fashion show of Anne-Marie Beretta spring-summer 1983 women's ready-to-wear collection, Anne-Marie Beretta (Designer), Paul van Riel (Photographer), In Copyright

Users can search and download high quality content, and easily access what they are looking for by using new filters including designers, techniques, materials, and types of clothing. The collection features exclusive editorial content, including guest blog posts and an online exhibition “Past to Present: Fashion Re-Interpretations”.

The platform provides a unique space for heritage institutions across Europe to showcase and share their collections online. Contributing institutions already include the Victoria and Albert Museum (UK), Les Arts Decoratifs (France), the Royal Library of Belgium, as well as fashion brand archives such as the Missoni archive, the Emilio Pucci Archive and the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo, amongst others. Harry Verwayen, Europeana Deputy Director, says “Europeana Foundation is very pleased to increase our collaboration with the Europeana Fashion Association, and to welcome their curatorial expertise on the Europeana platform”.

You can support the launch and help us spread the word on social media using the hashtag #EuropeanaFashion, and tagging @Europeanaeu (Europeana) @EurFashion (Europeana Fashion).

by Camille Tenneson