Fashion History Museum

Museum in Ontario chronicling the history of fashion

Fashion History Museum is a museum in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, which chronicles the history of fashion. It was founded in 2004[1] by Jonathan Walford and Kenn Norman.[2] The museum is a non-profit charitable organization.[3]

Fashion History Museum in the Old Hespeler Post Office

## History

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### Founders

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Prior to founding the Fashion History Museum, Jonathan Walford had been the founding curator of the Bata Shoe Museum.[2][4] Walford has been collecting historical fashions since the 1970s, finding pieces from auction houses, garage sales, and even rescuing some items from the trash.[2] He has also written several books on fashion.[5]

Walford is currently the museum's Director/Curator. The museum's other founder, Kenn Norman, who serves as the Chair of the museum's board, has a background in finance, project management and design.[3][5]

### Southworks Gallery

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For the first ten years of its existence the museum lacked a permanent gallery, so it created exhibitions that travelled around Canada and the world, from Hong Kong to Bahrain.[6] A pilot gallery in a mall [5] in Cambridge Ontario, in 2013 saw almost 8000 visitors in the four and a half months the museum was open there.[7]

### Hespeler Post Office

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In June 2015 the museum opened in a 3,000 square foot decommissioned post-office that had been opened in 1929[8] in the former town of Hespeler, now a neighbourhood of Cambridge.[4][3] The museum retained and restored the original terrazzo floors and installed replicas of antique light fixtures for lighting.[8] A restoration project for the clock over the museum's front doors was funded by the public.[9] The town of Cambridge was once a textile manufacturing hub, making the museum a suitable fit with the town's history.[3]

## Collection

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The museum's collection encompasses over 10,000 items.[4] These items range from what may be the oldest existing European shoe worn in North America (it was reputedly worn in New Amsterdam and dates to about 1660),[2] to dresses by Hollywood designer Adrian (Adolph Greenberg)[4] to 1970s handbags made from cigarette packs.[6]

## Exhibitions

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Before establishing the current gallery space, the museum created travelling exhibitions and pop-up shows.

### 2009 exhibitions

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* Open Drawers (Collection highlights) - Guelph Civic Museum, August 15–30
* Talkin' Bout My Generation (1960s fashion) - Waterloo Region Children's Museum, June–September
* Everyday Wear (Daywear fashions 1820 - 1920) - Ball's Falls Centre for Conservation, November 2009 - January 2010

### 2010 exhibitions

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* The Towering Art of the Shoe (high heeled shoes 1780 - 1980) - New Town Plaza, Sha Tin, China, May 2010

### 2011 exhibitions

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* Nuclear Fashion (fashion advertising 1946 - 1964) - Waterloo City Museum, May–September
* Winter Sports (fashions for sport 1880 - 1930) - Ball's Falls Centre for Conservation, December

### 2012 exhibitions

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* 12.12.12 Life in Three Centuries - Guelph Museum, January 21 - March 10
* A Shoe Story (shoes 1780 - 1980) - Manama Mall, Bahrain, May 23 - June 16
* 12.12.12 Life in Three Centuries - Markham Museum, September 22 - April 30, 2013
* Nuclear Fashion (fashion advertising 1946 - 1964) - Burlington Museum, October - December
* Action! Sport, Film & Fashion - Grand River Film Festival, Cambridge, October 16–20

### 2013 exhibitions

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* Paisley and Plaid: Recurring Patterns in Fashion - Southworks, Cambridge, July 27 - November 30
* Fashion for the Future: Acquisitions from the new millennium - Southworks, Cambridge, July 27 - September 15
* It's in the Bag: An Anthology of Purse Styles - Southworks, Cambridge, July 27 - December 22
* Open Drawers: Recent acquisitions - Southworks, Cambridge, September 20 - December 22
* MODe: Fashions of the 1960s - Southworks, Cambridge, December 5–22

### 2014 exhibitions

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* Street Style: Fashions in Waterloo County 1853 - 1973 - Waterloo Region Museum, May 15 - January 10, 2015

### 2015 exhibitions

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The present gallery space opened June 27 with the following exhibitions:[2]

* Treasures from the Collection[8]
* Back to the Eighties[8]
* What to do with an old post office?[8]
* Punks and Posers: 1980s Portraits from New York and London[8]

Image of the Treasures from the Collection exhibit

### 2016 exhibitions

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* To Meet the Queen: What to Wear in the Presence of Royalty[10]
* A Canadian Fashion Story: Pat McDonagh 1967–2014[10]
* Throw me something, Sister? Muses, Mardi Gras, and Glittered Shoes, curated by Angela Brayham[11][10]
* Barbie's Boyfriend Ken: The Vintage Years 1961–1967, curated by James Fowler[12]
* What I did on my Summer Vacation: Photographs by Walter Segers [12]
* Tying the Knot: 200 Years of Wedding Attire[13][10]
* Brides Revisited: Wedding Photography 1870–1970
* Wild and Rare: Fashion and Endangered Species, curated by Lisa Cox[14]

Image of the Wild and Rare exhibit

### 2017 exhibitions

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* Dior: 1947–1962 (March–July 2017)[15]
* Fashioning Canada Since 1867 (March–December 2017)[16][17]
* Jane Austen's World: 1792 - 1817 (July–December 2017)[18][19]
* Then, Now, Next: Celebrating one hundred and fifty years of Canada’s contribution to the world of fashion (September 13–October 27, 2017)[20]

### 2018 exhibition

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* 101 Tales of Fashion (March - December 2018)[citation needed]

### 2019 exhibition

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* Made in France (March - December 2019)[citation needed]

### 2020/2021 exhibition

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* All exhibitions cancelled due to COVID, and instead, renovations were made to the gallery space

### 2022 exhibition

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* Museum reopened briefly in December 2021 before closing again in January, and reopening February 23, 2022. Exhibitions include:
* 300 Years of Fashion - 40 Outfits Illustrating the History of Fashion 1720 - 2020
* Frock On - A Century of Teenage Fashion, Music, and Culture, 1920 - 2020
* Specs Appeal - A History of Eyewear (renamed from its original title 20/20 that was to debut in 2020)
* Portraits from Mali: Photographs by Malick Sidibe and Seydou Keïta 1951 - 1976

## References

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1. ^ "About Us". FHM. Fashion History Museum. Archived from the original on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
2. ^ a b c d e Slone, Isabel (18 May 2016). "Welcome to the Fashion History Museum of Cambridge, Ontario". Racked. Vox. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
3. ^ a b c d Weidner, Johanna (10 September 2015). "Fashion a window to history at Cambridge museum". Guelph Mercury. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
4. ^ a b c d Aggerholm, Barbara (1 November 2014). "Fashion museum styling a permanent home in Cambridge". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
5. ^ a b c Ingrid. "Fashion in the Museum: The Opening of The Fashion History Museum". Worn Through; Apparel from an Academic Perspective. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
6. ^ a b Hicks, Jeff (26 July 2013). "Fashion History Museum opens in Cambridge". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
7. ^ Aggerholm, Barbara (June 2014). "After a fashion". Grand.
8. ^ a b c d e f Martin, Ray (9 July 2015). "Fashion History Museum settles into Hespeler core". Cambridge Times. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
9. ^ Martin, Ray (24 May 2016). "There's a whole lot happening in Hespeler". Cambridge Times. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
10. ^ a b c d Buchanan, Vinnie (6 May 2016). "Fashion museum a hidden treasure in Hespeler". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
11. ^ Buchanan, Vinnie (6 May 2016). "Museum a Hidden Treasure in Hespeler". The Record.
12. ^ a b Corkum, Keith (4 Aug 2016). "Fashion exhibit combs through Ken's closet".
13. ^ "Calendar". Fashion History Museum. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20.
14. ^ Thompson, Catherine (13 November 2016). "Fur, feathers and controversy Museum explores fashion's uneasy history with animals". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
15. ^ "Dior: 1947 - 1962 | Ontario Museums".
16. ^ "Fashioning Canada Since 1867". 14 March 2017.
17. ^ "Looking good, eh? Fashion museum showcases the best of Canadian style | CBC News".
18. ^ "Fashion History Museum". Facebook.
19. ^ https://www.therecord.com/community-story/7492401-fashion-history-museum-hosts-clothing-from-the-time-of-jane-austin/ [dead link‍]
20. ^ "Then Now Next". 28 January 2017.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fashion History Museum.

* Official website
* Fashion History Museum on Facebook
* Fashion History Museum on Instagram

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