Safely preserving a dress for a museum collection

In February 2019, water and ice damaged a number of historical costumes stored in the Maine State Museum’s repositories in the United States. The museum commissioned Museum Textile Services to assess and restore seventeen outfits. Among these, a white silk dress with blue polka dots, comprising a bodice and skirt with lace inserts, showed water stains and stiffening. The linings, however, were already showing signs of tears and fraying due to the ageing of the silk. This isolated incident nevertheless highlights a complex challenge even for those seeking to preserve fashion heritage: addressing new damage whilst keeping in mind the material complexity of the garment and its overall state of preservation.

Not every alteration that emerges following an incident, for example, is necessarily attributable to that event. And even restoration can involve difficult choices: in the case of the Maine Museum, some original linings, which were too fragile, were removed and preserved separately. This gives rise to a fundamental principle: the best incident is the one that never happens. Prevention can extend to consultancy through consultation with archivists, conservators, collection managers and the company’s risk manager. The value of a historic garment lies not only in the cost of the materials but also encompasses intangible aspects: rarity, provenance, creative heritage and the fashion house’s identity. After all, dangers do not always manifest themselves in spectacular ways. Sometimes they operate silently.

Moisture can promote the hydrolysis of certain polymers, particularly certain polyurethane coatings: a jacket may become sticky or start to flake even if it has never been worn. Visible light and ultraviolet rays can cause discolouration and a loss of fibre strength; oxidation can contribute to yellowing and brittleness. An illuminated embroidery, for example, designed to highlight every detail during an exhibition, risks being damaged by the very light that makes it visible. For the most vulnerable textiles, the Victoria and Albert Museum recommends a maximum illuminance of 50 lux. Appropriate LED lighting, UV control, stable temperature and humidity, and limited display times are therefore not merely curatorial considerations: they are risk management tools.

An object must always be viewed within its environmental context, in relation to the location where it is housed, the proposed display, and the use to which it is put, so as to draw up an integrated prevention and safety plan. Alongside clothing and accessories, insurance cover also extends to document archives, photographs, videos and historical displays, both whilst in storage and during the active phases of handling and transport. Even the rotation of exhibited garments, which helps to reduce cumulative exposure to light, presents a paradox: every instance of handling is, in turn, an opportunity for damage. Bespoke packaging, suitable supports, specialised staff and condition reports before and after each loan are therefore essential.

For some archive garments, static display is the only use compatible with their preservation: wearing them would subject them to excessive strain. This is demonstrated by the attention paid to Gianfranco Ferré’s legacy: an archive comprising thousands of garments and documents, which is the subject of digitisation, maintenance and specialist conservation projects. For conservation purposes, fashion archives are increasingly akin to museum collections, whilst continuing to thrive through exhibitions, research and new creations. The challenge becomes even more complex when looking to the future. The fashion industry is experimenting with smart fabrics, coated materials and biomaterials derived from mycelium or plant by-products. But how much do we know about their stability after twenty or thirty years? An integrated circuit in a garment may lose its functionality without altering its appearance; an innovative material may react to humidity in ways that have not yet been fully documented. Innovation and sustainability alone do not guarantee longevity: we need to understand the material, its history, its possible uses and the limits of its preservation. Protecting an archive therefore means safeguarding not only what a fashion house has created, but also what it may draw inspiration from in the future.

Jean Gazançon

CEO of ARTE Generali

(text compiled by Elena Pozzi, ARTE Generali)