FASHION AND TEXTILES

The Fashion and Textiles collection consists of some 60,000 pieces of work in the areas of international art, design and craftwork.
The oldest items originate from burial chambers in Egypt, these Coptic textiles range from fragments of decorative material to complete tunics. The inventory includes an extensive collection of silks and embroideries from the Middle Ages, the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries. These are complemented by precious Flemish and Italian needle and bobbin lace and approximately a hundred tapestries from the great French and Belgian manufactorers from the heyday of tapestry-weaving in the 16th Century up to modern times, as well as the famous Scherrebek wall hangings from the Jugendstil period.

Folkloristic objects were also collected, embroidery and traditional costumes from the Vierlande (in the vicinity of Hamburg) for example, as well as some 500 European embroidered samplers from four centuries.

The contemporary exhibits mostly comprise articles of clothing and accessoires. The focus is both on certain themes and on famous designers (e.g. Yves Saint Laurent, Wolfgang Joop, Issey Miyake).

Important acquisitions, numerous donations and presentations in large-scale special exhibitions have enabled the collection to achieve international renown.