Mission
Fashion is one of our most significant cultural artifacts — an expression of our values and fascinations, and an impression of a moment in time with social, political, and economic dimensions. Yet because much of its printed matter is created for commercial or informal ends, it rarely receives the thorough study it deserves. Ultimately there is a need for intellectual enterprise, new narratives and a healthy collective environment to interact with the actual production and positioning of fashion.
Founded in 2020, the Library will become the world’s most comprehensive repository of specialized fashion research and contemporary fashion publications. We will fill a much-needed gap in the preservation of and critical engagement with fashion’s printed culture at an institutional level, and build a free, globally accessible resource for fashion researchers, industry professionals, and amateur enthusiasts. International Library of Fashion Research is actively working not only to preserve fashion’s past, but to understand its present and contribute to its future.
Collection
The library’s foundation is based on a seed donation of 5,000+ pieces of contemporary printed matter dating from 1975 until present. It includes books, magazines, lookbooks, show invitations, illustrations, ephemera, acquired from various private collectors. The collection will continue to grow via further donations from global fashion houses, publishers and practitioners, animated by an extensive program of talks, digital annotations and micro-curations.
Location
International Library of Fashion Research will open physically in the dedicated venue of "Stasjonsmesterboligen", located on the campus of the newly built and prestigious 55,000 square metres National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo, Norway. While continuing to operate independently, this agreement reasserts the library in its purpose to defend its critical engagement in fashion printed culture at an institutional level. Opening in 2022.
Education
We offer guided tours, customized research experiences and brand consulting. Our team of research specialists are also actively working with educational institutions for lectures, courses, student activations, workshops and more. Please contact us for more detailed information.
Masthead
Founding Director
Elise By Olsen
Head of Communications
Else Skålvoll Thorenfeldt
Seed Collector
Steven Mark Klein
Design Director
Morteza Vaseghi
Head of Spatial Design
Vésma Kontere McQuillan
Head Librarian
Ilaria Trame
Guest Researchers
Carolina Davalli, Hannah Hansen Aastad, Melissa Alejandra Johansen
Graphic Designer
Julie Kristensen Asplund
Library Assistant
Robin Norstrøm
Library Intern
Anna Ringstad
Institutional Partner
The National Museum of Norway
Sponsors
- Blender Agency
- Gevir
- HEM
- Holzweiler
- Hydro
- Kvadrat
- Nordic Culture Fund (Globus)
- Norwegian Fashion Hub
- Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Oslo Finér
- Platform Consulting
- Polestar
- Raise Group
- Rimowa
- Sparebankstiftelsen DNB
- Steen & Strøm 1797
- Swedish Fashion Council
- Talent Norge
Educational Partners
- Central Saint Martins
- Kristiania Oslo University College
- Oslo National Academy of the Arts
- Oslo MET
- Parsons School of Design
- Polimoda
Digital Design and Development
Offis
Typeface
- Arizona (Dinamo)
Legal
The content viewable on this site is protected by copyright. Storage, indexing, distribution and any other forms of compilation or use of the content, for commercial and non-commercial purposes, is not permitted without explicit written permission. All photos of works are taken by International Library of Fashion Research, and may not be copied or reproduced.