INSIDE THE WESTMINSTER MENSWEAR ARCHIVE
THE WESTMINSTER MENSWEAR ARCHIVE
The growing archiving scene has revolutionised fashion, providing a window into its past. Whilst any vintage designer or vintage high-end clothing could be considered to be an ‘archival piece’, the scene centers around the ‘greatest hits. These are sought-after pieces in the designer’s repertoire that tastemakers and collectors from the scene define. The Westminster Menswear Archive goes a step further, feeling more like a doorway into the past than a window. Upon entering, one feels more of a tangible connection to all of its objects and indeed their cultural significance.
Berghaus Kongur Jacket with Removable Hood, 1983
Westminster Menswear Archive
The Westminster Menswear Archive is in some way antithetical to the general archiving scene that has recently spawned on social media. This is for two reasons. Firstly, it is a physical archive that emphasizes the senses/emotions evoked through touch and handling the clothing. Secondly, whilst there are examples of sought-after pieces in the collection this is more of an after-effect. It ignores the status amongst archival fashion markets entirely, its currency instead being the integral moments in British fashion history that can develop the functional and utilitarian side of menswear design. This is why you can also find a range of utilitarian and uniform garments from the Army, Police, US Marines, GPO, Coldstream guards, French Fire service, and more.
WHAT IS THE ARCHIVE USED FOR?
The Westminster Menswear Archive has become a pivotal destination for designers, researchers, students and general fashion enthusiasts. The archive, in recent years, has attracted industry-based design research, including; Liam Hodges, Rapha, Versace, Hunter, Matthew Miller, Perry Ellis, Jigsaw, Alexander McQueen, H&M, British Fashion Council, The Financial Times, Esquire and Vogue.
Recently, C.P Company used the archive for reference purposes to inform the ‘C.P Company 971-021” Book, a C.P Company Lookbook featuring iconic items as well as brand advocates and loyalists. This is indicative of just how coveted some of the Westminster Archive’s objects are as C.P. themselves already have access to a large private Massimo Osti/C.P Company Archive. Furthermore, they called on the founder of the Westminster Menswear Archive, Prof. Andrew Groves, to write the foreword to the C.P Company book, which celebrates the brand’s evolution and innovation of workwear/military wear-inspired design.
C.P Company “Beekeeper Jacket”, A/W 2000-01
Westminster Menswear Archive
On arrival, we were greeted by Prof. Andrew Groves, Director of the Westminster Menswear Archive, at the University of Westminster. He was accompanied by Dr. Danielle Sprecher, the curator of the archive. Between them, they seemingly had infinite knowledge of both British fashion culture and clothing curation.
Prof. Andrew Groves is an expert in fashion archives and is spearheading their use as a primary source for students to examine, reinterpret and ultimately inform new designs. This is vital to Andrew’s teaching process. Before his career in academia, Andrew worked as a designer under his label and notably as a senior design assistant to Alexander McQueen. As an expert in fashion collections, curations and archives, we asked Andrew some questions about the Westminster archive and the industry in general.
WHY DID YOU START THE WESTMINSTER MENSWEAR ARCHIVE?
My research is concerned with fashion’s material culture and its use as a primary source for analysis and reinterpretation to generate new knowledge that can be used to inform design processes. The establishment of the Westminster Menswear Archive is central to my research and teaching practice, as it serves as a point of conjunction between academia and industry. I founded the Westminster Menswear Archive in 2016 to establish object research as a central methodology for teaching and understanding material culture and to generate innovative approaches to design practice. The archive purposefully rejects a hierarchy of design, instead proposing a parity of clothing-based objects, interspersing workwear, uniforms, and designer garments, and challenging the orthodoxy of dress collections. This diversity of objects has made it a critical resource for both industry and students to inform new design research and practice and generate new knowledge about menswear’s history, materiality, and social meaning. Researchers from industry include designers from Burberry, Tom Ford, Alexander McQueen, Dunhill, Bottega Veneta, Rapha, Versace, Umbro, and C.P. Company.
Calvin Klein Onxy Liquid Twill Trench, A/W 2009
Westminster Menswear Archive
The archive houses over 2000 garments including A-COLD-WALL*, Ahluwalia, Aitor Throup, Alexander McQueen, Aquascutum, Austin Reed, Barbour, Belstaff, Berghaus, Blades, BodyMap, Bukta, Burberry, Burton, Craig Green, Gieves, Joe Casely-Hayford, John Stephens, Kim Jones, Lewis Leathers, Liam Hodges, Martine Rose, Meadham Kirchhoff, Michiko Koshino, Mr Fish, Nigel Cabourn, Palace, Paul Smith, Sibling, Tommy Nutter, Umbro, Vexed Generation, and Vivienne Westwood. Additionally, the archive houses an extensive collection of utilitarian and uniform garments worn by members of the British Armed Forces, emergency services, public transportation providers, and various uniformed trades.
CAN YOU PICK OUT YOUR FAVOURITE OBJECT, EXPLAINING WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL?
Hi-Viz waistcoat, by Stone Island 1989
Westminster Menswear Archive
Blue sleeveless synthetic vest with reflective strips in silver. The waistcoat features a V-neck and is secured in the centre front by a vertical length of Velcro. It features a vertical strip of silver reflective material sewn onto each side of the front chest and a horizontal strip across the top of the centre back that is printed with ‘STONE ISLAND’ in black cut-out lettering. ‘S. I 989’ is printed in black stencil style lettering beneath the front left strip.
I like this as it is an exceptional example of how little a designer has alter from a source garment to give it new meaning. Additionally I like the idea that someone that might have worn a Hi-Viz as part of their day to day clothing at work, would then wear a Stone Island version at the weekend. The transfiguration of the ordinary through its selection and recontextualization by Osti is what makes this so ahead of its time.
WHAT, IN FASHION HISTORY, IS WORTH REMEMBERING?
The archive is concerned with the material culture of menswear. As a result, we cover workwear, uniforms, everyday dress, and fashion. It enables us to understand social history, not only of the individuals who wore the garments but also of those who designed, produced, and sold them. It also enables us to gain a better understanding of how our approaches to masculinities have evolved over time and how they have been expressed through clothing and our dress.
HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT MAKES THE ARCHIVE?
The Westminster Menswear Archive maintains a collection policy that guides our future acquisitions. Our current focus is on clothing, workwear, and uniforms made by British companies or designed by British designers; garments that demonstrate exceptional design, technical innovation, and/or construction; archetypal garments significant to the history of menswear and contemporary design; and garments made or designed by University of Westminster staff or alumni. Additionally, we seek to acquire items that are currently underrepresented in the collection to strengthen and complement existing holdings and address identified gaps. These include a broader range of fashion designers, including black designers; pre-1960 garments, particularly sportswear and workwear; underwear, shirts, and knitwear; subcultural styles; outerwear covering the lower half of the body (trousers, shorts, skirts); and tailoring, particularly by notable makers or companies.
Stone Island Isola Di Pietra Jumper Tela Stella, 1983
Westminster Menswear Archive
C.P. COMPANY FORMS A LARGE PART OF THE ARCHIVE, WHAT MAKES IT SUCH A POIGNANT BRAND FOR YOU?
It is significant because Massimo Osti was instrumental in developing an approach to creating new menswear that was founded on research into pre-existing garments, primarily workwear and uniforms. This methodology laid the groundwork for a design philosophy that is now prevalent across womenswear and menswear, high fashion, and high street.
WHICH PIECE WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT TO CURATE?
We have an example of the C.P. Company Transformables tent, which is incredibly fragile and is disintegrating after only 20 years. It was on display in Milan this month for their 50th anniversary show because it is such an integral part of their history, but it is unlikely that it will ever be erected again due to its fragility.
C.P Company Transformables Tent
ARCHIVAL FASHION IS LARGELY ALIGNED WITH AMERICA AND JAPAN BASED DESIGNERS, WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS?
That is true of menswear archival fashion. Because of the sheer volume of early industrial workwear produced in America, it has become extremely desirable as clothing for those who wish to appear to be outside of ‘fashion,’ but ironically, it could not be more fashionable. In Japan, menswear is very much curated, with an emphasis on the categorisation and creation of discrete areas of niche knowledge. What is being collected is not the object itself, but the knowledge inherent in curatorial practise.
Issey Miyake Parachute cargo MA-1 Autumn/Winter 1996
THE ARCHIVE IS INCREASINGLY ATTRACTING INDUSTRY BASED DESIGNER AND MORE COMMERCIAL RESEARCH. DO YOU FEEL AN ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY WHEN IT COMES TO WHO USES IT AND WHY?
Through object-based research, our students and external users can delve deeper into the cultural and historical contexts surrounding the garments in our collection. Rather than simply being inspired by an image online, I’m hoping it forces them to consider the obligations they face when interpreting aspects of an object for a contemporary audience. While it is a common misconception that designers use archives for copying, they are primarily used to enable designers to react to an object’s physicality and material qualities in an increasingly digital age. If you are almost entirely designing digitally, you will require a connection to the physicality of your processes and outcomes.
WHERE CAN YOU SEE FASHION GOING IN THE NEXT TEN YEARS?
Numerous vested interests are attempting to compel us to enter the metaverse. While that may initially appeal to people, a reaction will occur in which people will crave physical objects that enable them to develop personal relationships with each other in real life. When you purchase a suit from your tailor, what you were paying for a personal relationship; the suit is merely an extension of that relationship. The significance of how physical objects, whether new or old, can serve as a conduit for developing strong personal relationships will continue to grow.
You can browse the digital version of the Westminster Menswear Archive here.
Nike just bought a virtual shoe company that makes NFTs and sneakers ‘for the metaverse’