5 Fashion Museums Around the World

Strut your stuff in Street View from New York to Florence at these leading fashion and textile museums

By Google Arts & Culture

Anya Hindmarch Catwalk, Spring / Summer 2017 (2016) by Anya HindmarchOriginal Source: Anya Hindmarch

Looking for fashion inspiration? Keeping up with the latest trends? Or are you simply interested in the fascinating history of fashion and design? 

Using Street View to click and drag and point your way, you can virtually strut your stuff. Scroll on to stroll around 5 leading fashion museums and sort your Cristóbal Balenciaga from your Christian Dior.

1. Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute, New York

In 2019, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute saw more than 1.65 million visitors to their Heavenly Bodies exhibition of Catholic vestments and fashion - the most popular exhibition ever held there.

2. Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto

Canada's Bata Shoe Museum developed from the personal collections of Sonja Bata.

The collection, started in the 1940s, now contains over 13000 shoes and other items of footwear, the oldest dating back 4500 years.

3. Museo Salvatore Ferragamo, Florence

Florence, Italy, was the centre of the Renaissance and remains a centre of fashion. Salvatore Ferragamo may not be a household name, but this shoe designer was the inventor of the wedge and the cage heel.

The museum boasts a range of garments inspired by art history, such as these pieces featuring designs based on the paintings of Joan Miro and Piet Mondrian. 

4. Kobe Fashion Museum, Kobe

Kobe Fashion Museum is the first museum in Japan to specialise in fashion. The collection consists of more than 9,000 Western costumes from the 18th-20th century, and folk costumes from over 70 countries. Additionally, the museum holds 2000 accessories, 1500 fashion plates, 2000 fashion photos, and over 4000 movie posters.

Click, drag, and use the arrows to explore the array of photos and fashions on show.

There's a stunning range of clothing and costumes to discover. 

Exhibition interior of 'Fashion: An Anthology' by Victoria and Albert Museum, LondonThe Victoria and Albert Museum

5. The Victoria & Albert Museum, London

The V&A is a world leading museum of art and design, hosting exhibitions of iconic designers including Mary Quant, Christian Dior, and Alexander McQueen.

Pair of shoes Pair of shoes (1720/1739) by UnknownThe Victoria and Albert Museum

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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