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Tweed Regional Museum is excited to throw open its wardrobe doors and take visitors on a journey to stitch together a fascinating history of the Tweed in Social Fabric.
The new exhibition displays some of the Museum’s never-before-seen textile collection. From the luxurious to the humble, these textiles weave together our social fabric, telling stories of who we are, and how they have shaped our identity. Behind each garment is a surprising and unexpected story. Drag queen gowns, mermaid costumes, military uniforms and lacy corsets all chronicle the social history of fashion and dressmaking in the Tweed.
The ‘social’ in Social Fabric explores the cultural context of each garment and shows how fashion has played a role in shaping the world we live in today. Fashion has served as a means of self-expression, communication, and cultural identity, and is used as a tool to enact change, seek empowerment or offer resistance.
The exhibition features ‘The Dressing Room’, an interactive space that allows visitors to explore, and wear, a collection of real vintage fashion from the 1940s to the 1990s. It will be supported by a series of investigative public programs that explore contemporary industry and culture regarding production, sustainability and attitudes towards fashion.
Social Fabric’s red carpet features a changing selection of Tweed-based textile designers, seamstresses and businesses such as Hastings Handmade, Elke and Nine Lives Bazaar. Selected accessories and homewares from these suppliers are available for purchase in the new Museum Shop.
"We are thrilled to bring this exhibition to life and share with our visitors the rich history of the Tweed as shown through these garments," Museum Director Molly Green said.
"We believe our textile collection is a reflection of who we are and where we come from, and this exhibition will showcase that in a unique and engaging way."
Social Fabric is now open and runs until 15 July 2023.
For more information visit museum.tweed.nsw.gov.au.
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