Based in the School of Design and underpinned by research excellence in textiles at the University of Leeds, the Yorkshire Fashion Archive is a new, publically accessible collection of haute couture, fashion garments and everyday clothing. It provides a unique historical and cultural record of Yorkshire life and documents clothing produced, purchased and worn by Yorkshire folk throughout the 20^th Century. The collection reflects changing social attitudes and multi-cultural influences, economic prosperity, global trends and the regional technical excellence in textiles and clothing over a 100 year period.

Many of the garments have been donated with accompanying photographic images, information and anecdotes concerning the piece itself, the wearer or the situations in which they were worn. As we progress further into the 21^st century, it is imperative that we continue to gather evidence of Yorkshire history from this new perspective before the voices are lost forever. To develop and support the findings, film footage will be examined through collaboration with the Yorkshire Film Archive.

The Clothworkers’ Company