When the Kobe Fashion Museum opened in 1997, it was Japan's first dedicated fashion museum. Its collection comprises more than 9,000 Western costumes from the 18th-20th century, and folk costumes from over 70 countries.
Additionally, the museum holds, 1500 fashion plates, 2000 fashion photos, and over 4500 movie posters. Its library holds more than 40000 books, magazines, and movies, allowing visitors to discover how humans across history have dressed themselves and dreamed of beauty.
FIDM Museum, USA
The FIDM Museum covers 200 years of fashion history, from Parisian haute couture and iconic film costumes, to non-Western dress, jewellery, and fragrances. It is also home to two major archives, those of Rudi Gernreich and Gianni Versace Menswear.
One of the major draws is the museum's Vivienne Westwood collection. The queen of punk came to public notice in the 1970s when she made clothes for Malcolm McLaren's London boutique, SEX. Her eclectic, eccentric styles have shape high street fashion ever since.
MoMu - Fashion Museum Antwerp, Belgium
In 2002, MoMu presented its first exhibition in the historical ModeNatie building on the Nationalestraat. Since then, MoMu has presented two temporary shows every year. Each time, totally transforming the exhibition space, making each visit a unique experience.
MoMu's collection policy focuses on the work of Belgian designers and alumni of the Fashion Department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, alongside significant international designers, and notable pieces representing Western European fashion & textile history.
Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum, Spain
Few names in haute couture are bigger than Cristóbal Balenciaga. The Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum, located within the historic Aldamar Palace, is the first dedicated to the designer and the only that preserves, researches, and publishes on his expansive legacy.
Long, straight, and loose-fitting with three-quarter sleeves and a jewelled neckline, this coat, made in 1964, is adorned with flower appliqués with pink and ivory organza petals, and green silk taffeta leaves, and lined with ivory silk organza. It's pure Balenciaga.
German Hat Museum, Germany
In 1900, the German city of Lindenberg produced around 4 million straw hats. Millinery was the town's major industry, and it acquired the nickname 'Little Paris'. Today, in the former hat factory of Ottmar Reich, you will find the German Hat Museum.
The museum's collection holds over 5,000 artefacts, from vintage millenary machinery to hundreds of historical hats - such as this velvet pagoda-style hat - representing fashions of the past three centuries.
The Museum Folkwang was the first public collection in Germany to acquire and exhibit works of the forerunners of Modernism – Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, and Henri Matisse.
