Bethan Bide is Lecturer in Design and Cultural Theory at the University of Leeds. Bethan researches the histories of 'everyday' fashions of the 20 th century and the role of fashion in museums. She was awarded her PhD in 2017 by Royal Holloway, University of London and also holds degrees from the London College of Fashion and the University of Cambridge.
Getting close to clothes provides new perspectives on the geographies of fashion cities and the processes and collaborations by which they function. Taking the history of London's garment industry in the post-war 1940s as a case study, this paper traces the major stages of the making process of clothespattern making, cutting, machining and finishingthrough four garments from the Museum of London's fashion collection. By understanding these material fashion objects as processes, it uncovers the hidden stories of historic garment workers through the tiny clues left in old stitching, revealing the creativity of the individuals who made them and how they contributed to the creative cultures of the historic fashion city. This study of material processes shows how individual makers shaped garments and contributed to a creative culture that played a vital role in London's growing post-war reputation as a fashion city. It also broadens the boundaries of London as a fashion city beyond the confines of the West End by revealing that a network of workrooms and factories across the city supported this centrally located cluster of fashion businesses. Having established the historical role of making in the creative cultures of London fashion, this paper concludes by questioning how future studies of contemporary fashion cities might look to material objects in order to reconsider the creative agency of subcontracted garment workers in the new international division of labour and the contributions they make towards the symbolic reputations of major fashion cities, in spite of geographical distances.
Experiences of conflict rarely adhere to the historical confines of defined dates. Although the Second World War was officially brought to a close on 2 September 1945, the emotional legacy of the conflict lingered. Drawing on objects from the Museum of London, this article investigates how fashion objects can be used to highlight the long-term impacts of conflict. By looking at how people reused, saved and fetishised wartime objects in peacetime, it shows how emotional reactions of hope, disappointment and lingering resentment manifested themselves through practices of dressing, as well as demonstrating the uneven impact of conflict across class and gender boundaries.
In the aftermath of the Second World War, the fashion departments of L W E department stores were not only challenged by austerity and bomb damage, but also by the growth of multiple retailers selling branded ready-to-wear goods. This article investigates how department stores responded by investing in display and visual merchandising to attract custom and rebuild their fashionable reputations. It argues that the difficulties caused by austerity conditions forced department stores to embrace new retail methodologies that helped them adapt to the changed circumstances of postwar fashion retail and compete with multiple retailers.
Thanks to Beatrice Behlen and David Gilbert for their ideas and tireless support developing this research, to Felix Driver for many helpful conversations, and to the anonymous referee whose thoughtful comments gave new vigor and direction to this paper. Thanks also to the Museum of London, the AHRC, and the members of my family who contributed their stories. Thank you Grandma for the memories.
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