Groves, Andrew and Sprecher, Danielle 2025. Determining the Future: Pre-Creation Accessioning and the Documentation of Design Process. 4th International Artefacta Conference. University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland 13 - 14 Feb 2025
| Title | Determining the Future: Pre-Creation Accessioning and the Documentation of Design Process |
|---|---|
| Authors | Groves, Andrew and Sprecher, Danielle |
| Type | Conference paper |
| Abstract | The Westminster Menswear Archive (WMA), established in 2016 at the University of Westminster in London, UK, represents a unique and pioneering teaching collection. It contains over 2,600 examples of men’s fashion, including workwear, uniforms, casualwear, and sportswear dating from the 1780s to the present day. Key collecting includes garments produced by the Italian designer Massimo Osti (1944–2005), known for his influential brands Stone Island, C.P. Company, and Left Hand. Osti and the WMA exemplify the determination of process and resolution in their research methodology – existing garments embody the design process while also informing new design. In 2022, the WMA started a project to document the development of Massimo Osti Studio, a new direct-to-consumer brand. We agreed to accession a sample of each production garment created during the brand’s first year, even though at the time, none of the garments had been designed or prototyped. With access to the label’s design and production process, the project captures how the design has been determined, as well as the final outcomes. Museums tend to accession garments long after their production, once their aesthetic, societal, or critical value has been established. However, in the context of rapidly evolving design, production, and consumption practices, exemplified by the rise of direct-to-consumer models and limited edition drops, this conventional approach risks missing the critical relationship between these processes and the final garments. This paper examines the innovative curatorial strategy employed by the WMA, showcasing the determination of the creative and industrial processes of garment production while intentionally avoiding the imposition of curatorial or donor biases. By embracing the uncertainty and unpredictability of this approach, the WMA sought to document a dynamic and evolving narrative, highlighting the complexities of contemporary fashion and material culture. |
| Keywords | Rapid-Response Collecting |
| Design Process | |
| Massimo Osti | |
| Menswear Design | |
| Year | 2025 |
| Conference | 4th International Artefacta Conference |
| File | File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
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