Combined with the historic dress and textiles collections pre-dating 1850, our collection of European and North American fashion and textiles consists of c. 50,000 items.

Fashion 1850 to present day

The modern and contemporary fashion collections include significant collections of dress from individual donors, such as that donated by Charles William Stewart (1915-2001), which is especially strong in 19th-century womenswear. The acquisition in 2005 of the internationally significant archive of the British fashion designer, Jean Muir added an estimated 18,000 items to the collection. This comprehensive collection includes garments, accessories, paper patterns, toiles, fashion sketches, technical drawings, fabric samples, jewellery, press material, photographs and supporting archive material.

The collection includes notable examples of 20th-century fashion from influential designers such as Paul Poiret, Mario Fortuny, Jeanne Lanvin, Christian Dior, Jacques Fath, Charles James, Yves Saint Laurent, Paco Rabanne, Zandra Rhodes, Hussein Chalayan, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, Issey Miyake, Maison Margiela and Walter Van Beirendonck. Recent contemporary collecting has included work by national and international designers such as Holly Fulton, Phoebe English, Gareth Pugh, Craig Green, Gypsy Sport and Chromat, and reflects our ambition to collect works that build on the legacy of the National Museum’s touring exhibition, Body Beautiful: Diversity on the Catwalk, as well as works highlighting efforts towards more sustainable design.

Textiles 1850 to present day

National Museums Scotland holds nationally significant collections of textiles, representing important Scottish industries such as the United Turkey Red Company, Paisley and Edinburgh shawl manufacture, and Fair Isle knitting. The collection also includes a wide range of tapestries produced by Dovecot Studios (formerly the Edinburgh Tapestry Company) from the institution's Art & Crafts beginnings to contemporary commissions. In 2010, the 20th century holdings were strengthened with the acquisition of the internationally significant archive of émigré textile designer and colourist Bernat Klein. This comprehensive collection comprises paintings, textiles, garments, press material, design development, and commercial ephemera.

More recently, Modernist textiles have become a focus of collecting, supported by the Art Fund New Collecting Award, including works by Tibor Reich, Henry Moore, Eduardo Paolozzi, Donald Brothers, and Edinburgh Weavers.