The International Library of Fashion Research is a repository of specialized fashion research and contemporary fashion publications. The collection is continually growing through donations from global fashion houses, publishers and practitioners. The library is open and accessible to general visitors. The new international library of fashion research opened at the National Museum in Oslo last December.
The International Library of Fashion Research (ILFR) was launched in 2020 by Elise By Olsen (b. 1999). It is an independent fashion library based on a large donation from the late fashion theorist Steven Mark Klein. The ILFR is housed in the Station Master’s Building at the National Museum in Oslo. The collaboration between ILFR and the National Museum have so far resulted in three projects, including the Fashion Research Symposium that gathered 170 students, researchers and fashion professionals in September 2022.
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Great demand for this type of material
“Archives are in vogue, and there is a great demand for this type of material, not least from the fashion industry itself. It is very exciting for a research institution like the National Museum to have the opportunity to bring our perspectives to this collection,” says the National Museum’s Director Karin Hindsbo.
The International Library of Fashion Research has an ambition of becoming the world’s largest and most comprehensive repository of fashion publications and other documentation connected to the fashion industry. The library will function as a free and accessible resource for fashion professionals, researchers, students and enthusiasts.
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Fast-growing collection
The library’s collection is fast-growing. Since the establishment, it has accepted significant donations, including material from the French fashion house Hermès, the international magazine distributor KD Presse, the Japanese fashion house Comme des Garçons, and the design agency M / M (Paris). Much of the material in the ILFR archive is digitized and available on the ILFR website.
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The library’s interior has been developed in collaboration with architect and professor Vesma McQuillan and students at Kristiania University College. The shelf system made by extruded aluminum profiles is designed by the Italian design duo Formafantasma for Hem. The curtain textiles come from Kvadrat Textiles. The tables are custom-built with recycled MDF, and the display cases are reused from the National Museum – Architecture.
International Library of Fashion Research in the Station Master’s Building is open 12.00 – 18.00, Tuesday to Friday
The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
is the largest art museum in the Nordics. The collection contains 400,000 objects ranging from the antiquity to the present day and includes paintings, sculpture, drawings, textiles, furniture and architectural models. The new museum building opened in June 2022. At the National Museum visitors can experience a comprehensive collection presentation of around 6,500 works, as well as a varied program of temporary exhibitions and events.
New International Library of Fashion Research Opened at the National Museum in Oslo, based on a press release from the museum.