Led by members of the Fashion and Textile Museum Exhibitions team, our Couture Inside Out workshop provides a rare opportunity to view the ins and outs of couture design. Take an up-close and intimate look at selected garments from the Fashion and Textile Museum Collection and discuss some of the many fascinating stories behind the clothes. In Couture Inside Out participants will have the opportunity to examine the internal structure and sewing techniques of garments from Couture houses including Chanel, Dior and Balenciaga alongside other curated highlights from our collection.

About the Permanent Collection

The Permanent Collection began when British design icon, Dame Zandra Rhodes founded the Museum in 2003. Fuelled by the desire to showcase 20th century fashion, Zandra placed an open call for unique pieces “to become a resource for education, research and inspiration”. Since then, the Museum has continued to collect items which explore the fashion narrative of this period.

Our archive highlights the changing face of contemporary fashion from 1947 to the present day. All items relate to the design and production of fashion and textiles, with a number of key garments from designers including Balenciaga, Biba, Christian Dior, Mary Quant and Vivienne Westwood. Pieces from the collection feature regularly in our comprehensive programme of exhibitions, workshops and fashion history lectures.