Fashion’s Missing Masses: The representation of marginalized populations in collections and exhibitions of dress

With fashion exhibitions featured in more museums than ever before, and the practice of curatorship and textile conservation ever more professionalized, this book provides a timely overview of the most pressing issues regarding diversity in the display of dress. The authors, all highly regarded in the field, share cutting-edge examples of successes and failures in the museal representation of real bodies, real people, and real vestimentary practices. This volume is destined to become indispensable to scholars of fashion curation worldwide.

Dr. Julia Petrov

Curator, Daily Life and Leisure

Royal Alberta Museum

Edmonton, Canada

author of "Fashion, History, Museums: Inventing the Display of Dress"

Featuring contributions from leading scholars and curators, the book challenges traditional fashion narratives and advocates for a more inclusive approach to the display and curation of dress. This essential work pushes the boundaries of fashion museology, offering new perspectives on diversity, equity, and the power of bringing the most marginalized to the center.

Jonathan Michael Square

In this timely and important volume, Libes and her contributors remind us that fashion cannot be divorced from the physically and culturally diverse bodies that wear it. This collection of essays highlights the absence of diversity in many fashion museum exhibitions and calls for new approaches to ensuring representation in future collecting practices and exhibitions. It offers both practical lessons and thoughtful advice for inclusivity and is a must-read for fashion and museum scholars and professionals alike.

Dr Sarah A. Bendall

Gender and Women's History Research Centre

Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences

Australian Catholic University