Clothing can serve as not only what is important now, but also as a historical time capsule for generations to come.
History is debatable, but fashion, like the arts, is planted in the soil of culture.
For those studying fashion, Houston Community College, one of the best programs in the state, currently has one of the largest fashion school archives in the country, with approximately 8,000 pieces of clothing and accessories.
The department has begun digitizing the pieces and is one of only two community colleges in the nation and one of three Houston institutions to appear on the Google Arts & Culture platform, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Houston Museum of Natural Science. More than 2,000 leading museums and institutions are on the site; This allows researchers, students of art and fashion, and the public to view their collections, archives and exhibitions for free.
HCC’s digital fashion archive features the 1740s and serves as an incredible learning tool for students – anyone who can become the next great designer.
As someone who has spent nearly two decades chronicling fashion trends, runway looks, and the importance of dress as a fashion writer for the Chronicle, I can attest to the importance of this archival project led by HCC Central College Library Services Director Erica. Hubbard, and fashion professor Alex Chapman.
The clothes are stored in large warehouses in HCC’s Fannin Street building.
So far, 759 costumes have been digitally archived, which is less than 10 percent of the collection. The goal is to By 2030 it is to digitize the entire collection. It is a process that requires considerable time and attention and requires financial support. Each garment is professionally photographed with multiple angles, according to Smithsonian digitization guidelines.
The college was awarded a grant in 2017 to conduct research on the historical and financial value and significance of each garment to Texas, Hubbard said. Then, among 50 photographers from HCC to take the pictures. They chose Shan Qureshi, a graduate and fashion photographer.
“When we first started this, we were taking pictures in the hallway. Now, we have a separate photo studio – but we don’t have any dedicated staff for this. We’re working on this project voluntarily because it’s important. We need more funding.” Hubbard says.
Chapman, who has been teaching in HCC’s fashion program since 2004, is the project’s volunteer patron.
He is a walking textbook of fashion history and a self-confessed “fashion hunter” who has amassed a collection of greats including Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Dries Van Noten, Yohaji Yamamoto, Comme des Garçons and Issey Miyake. In the year In early 2020, he sold many of his units to the real estate, luxury shipping site, so he could focus on his passion, Japanese designers.
Chapman has seen HCC’s fashion archives expand over the years. “They’re like old friends,” he says, knowing the pieces well.
In the year In 2005, approximately 4,000 items of clothing and accessories were donated to the HCC Fashion Program by Elizabeth Brown, an East Coast philanthropist and member of the American Apparel Association. Kay King, head of HCC’s fashion program at the time, agreed to take all 4,000 pieces. The school has kept about 1,800 pieces of historical significance that can be used in the classroom.
“Our archives are a teaching tool,” says Chapman. “If students are creating clothes, sometimes it’s difficult to explain the technique. It’s great when you show them how to do it, not only about sewing, but also about illustration, color, design and fabric making.”
While classic designers such as Chanel, Oscar de la Renta are represented in the archive, the collection of works by the program’s alumni is also significant. Take Myrna Vallejo’s 1990s black tailored dress, which Chapman thinks looks amazingly like a collection from Balenciaga’s spring/summer 2023 runway show. Vallejo is the longtime curator of the Houston Grand Opera’s costume shop.
The archive also features designers such as Yamamoto and traditional Japanese clothing, Christian Lacroix and Furs in the 1920s, along with couture Chanel and large Salvatore Ferragamo shoes. Houston-born designer Cesar Galindo has donated more than 20 designs to the HCC archive, and Project Run winner Chloe Dao’s final design is part of the collection.
“Fashion always comes back to those who weren’t around for it,” says Chapman. “A lot of my students weren’t born in the 1980s. So this fashion record is really helpful for students who don’t get it.”
It is also a way of expressing our changes in the past decades through the beauty of clothes.
