United Kingdom, Manchester, Textile Collection, Manchester Art Gallery

The Gallery of Costume houses one of the largest collections of clothing and fashion accessories in Britain (over 20,000 items), and is housed in the elegant surroundings of Platt Hall, an 18th century textile merchant’s home.  The collection contains clothes worn by men, women and children from the 17th century to the present day. Many of the clothes represent high fashion of the day. Other, much rarer items represent the basic but equally interesting dress of working people, such as the clogs and shawls of Lancashire weavers. The Gallery continues to collect all kinds of clothes worn by people in Britain, including contemporary designer wear, sports and leisure clothes, underwear and the fashions of Manchester’s South Asian communities. However, you can explore the costume collections further by browsing their collection themes or search for specific items using the collections search. The gallery has an extensive collection of fashion journals and periodicals available for research.