Have you ever dreamed of rifling through the archive of one of the world’s leading fashion schools? A school that’s seen greats like Vivienne Westwood and Christopher Bailey walk its halls, along with a new generation of talent like Priya Ahluwalia, Robyn Lynch, and Steven Stokey-Daley? Well, with the arrival of the new fashion tome Inside the Westminster Menswear Archive, that dream will soon be a reality.
Before it was a book, the Westminster menswear archive was founded at the university by Professor Andrew Groves in 2016, and became a key resource for those across the entire industry. The collection is used by those studying at the university itself, students from other prestigious colleges like Central Saint Martins, and is frequently accessed by streetwear brands across the globe for garment research and collection inspiration.
Now, with the release of this new edition, Groves is democratising the archive’s hallowed contents. “It’s fantastic that we can finally share so many of the amazing garments from our archive with the world,” he says. “Over the past nine years, the collection has inspired many of the industry’s top designers. Now, through this book, everyone can access these remarkable pieces.” Spanning 140 key garments from the last 275 years, the edition contains meticulously photographed clothing from designers and brands like Martine Rose, Prada, Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Jean Paul Gaultier, Meadham Kirchhoff, Louis Vuitton, Stone Island, Aitor Throup Studio and Comme des Garçons, plus forewords by A-COLD-WALL*’s Samuel Ross and Lorenzo Osti, president of CP Company.
To celebrate the book’s launch, SEVENSTORE in Liverpool is hosting a panel discussion with co-authors Groves and Dr Danielle Sprecher, who’ll both be joined by artist Aitor Throup, ex-alumni Robyn Lynch, editor Thomas Gorton and Dazed’s fashion writer Elliot Hoste. Kicking off at 7pm on June 6, the group is set to delve into the significance of the Westminster menswear archive, the role of archives in general and how they help assist in their current line of work.
To RSVP to this exclusive event, sign up for access at the Dazed Club app here, and to pre-order Inside the Westminster Menswear Archive, head here.