A fashion exhibition curated by one of De Montfort University Leicester (DMU)’s experts has already had more than 10,000 visitors as it enters its final fortnight.
Riviera Style: Resort and Swimwear since 1900 has been at the London Fashion and Textile Museum since May and ends on September 13.
Curated by DMU design historian Dr Christine Boydell, the exhibition traces the story of the fashion industry from its Edwardian beginnings when doctors prescribed the beach as a rest cure to the swimsuit famously banned following the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
It features fashion at its most fun with swimsuits, beach pyjamas, playsuits, bikinis and burkinis alongside iconic vintage travel posters.
Dr Boydell said the exhibition aimed to tell the story of our changing attitudes to modesty and of social change.
It also looks at the increasingly inventive ways in which the fashion industry used new manufacturing processes and materials to improve fit and swimming speed.
The exhibition, organised by the Fashion and Textile Museum, delves into the extensive archives of Leicestershire County Council, Lancashire County Council, private collections, fashion magazines and trade journals. More than 200 objects are included in the final show.
So far, 10, 855 people have seen the exhibition and more than 400 taken part in accompanying workshops, talks and events.
Celia Joicey, head of the museum, said: “We have had outstanding feedback. “Providing the exhibition numbers continue as forecast, the Riviera Style exhibition will be the Museum’s fourth most-visited show on record - this is in spite of the London Underground strikes this summer!”
This will be the last chance to see the exhibition before it closes. The Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey, run by Newham College, is a hub of learning, ideas and networking for the fashion and jewellery industry.
Posted on Friday 4 September 2015