The Fashion and Textile
Museum
The Fashion and Textile Museum is a cutting edge centre for
contemporary fashion, textiles and jewellery in London.
Founded by iconic British designer Zandra Rhodes, the centre
houses permanent and changing exhibitions exploring elements of
fashion, textiles and jewellery as well as the Academy which runs
courses for creative students and businesses, and the fabulous Café
@ FTM.
Situated in the heart of fashionable Bermondsey Village, in a
fantastic building designed by Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta,
the FTM aims not just to display and collect items relating to
fashion, jewellery and textile design, but to offer inspiration to
a new generation of creatives.
Now redeveloped and operated by Newham College, the museum is a
hub of learning, ideas and networking for the fashion and jewellery
industry.
Current exhibition:
Opening 9th July 2010 is Horrockses Fashions: Off
The Peg Style in the 40s and 50s. 
More info here.
Past exhibitions:
Very Sanderson: 150 Years of English Decoration
Sanderson was founded by Arthur Sanderson in 1860 and for the
last 150 years has been at the forefront of English decoration -
producing the first coordinated collection of mass-produced
wallpapers and fabrics in Britain. This exhibition highlights
the best of the Sanderson archive as well as brand new collections.
Full of surprises, it will fascinate and inform those whose tastes
run from the arts & crafts style, jazzy moderne, fifties'
festival designs and pop patterns, to decidedly contemporary art
and decor.
Foale and Tuffin - Made in England
In October 2009 the FTM opened a retrospective exhibition
of Foale and Tuffin - two influential designers whose fearless
fashion was part of the explosion of cultural expression and
individual style that swept London in the 1960s.
Undercover - The Evolution of Underwear
The FTM’s exciting exhibition Undercover traced the
evolution of underwear from health garment, shape definer, to
fashion 'must have'. It explored a number of themes such as boudoir
to everyday glamour – 'Stars and their bras' looking at celebrity
branding; research and innovation’s impact on the types of
underwear we wear; and how the changing face of underwear
advertising and marketing meshes with social and cultural
changes.
Future Exhibitions:
Look out for future exhibitions at the Fashion and Textile
Museum, including:
Events and courses at the FTM
The FTM is about much more than just exhibitions. As a learning
hub for Newham College, the museum hosts the
Courses@FTM programme of IT courses aimed
at fashion designers, the
Hub@FTM network for designers, short courses in
shoe and handbag design, and a packed programme of fun workshops,
talks and one-off events for everyone interested in fashion and
textiles. Visit the FTM website for full listings.
For more information, visit the Fashion and Textile
Museum's website: www.ftmlondon.org
Fashion and Textile Museum
83 Bermondsey Street
London
SE1 3XF
T: 020 7407 8664
F: 020 7089 9416
E: info@ftmlondon.org
Photos (From top): The FTM Building in
bermondsey; Sanderson - Etchings and
Roses; Undercover exhibition