Textiles and Fashion: ‘Unmentionables’ – A history of underwear through the ages

Join us on this exhilarating exploration of fashion's rich history, and gain a deep understanding of how clothing has not only reflected but also shaped cultures throughout time. Unlock the secrets behind the garments that have defined our identities across the ages. We will be exploring the earliest evidence we have of underwear of both men and women and piecing together evidence throughout our journey from contemporary sources of what they wore. Personal accounts from the earliest periods are patchy but from the 1600s we begin to have more evidence in the form of diaries and other contemporary sources to examine. We’ll try to find out what they wore and what they thought about it! Before the industrial revolution clothing was extremely expensive and we consider the impact of mass production on underwear. For women particularly the 1920 was a period of more liberating fashion styles and we will we will also be investigating the fashion of the ‘flapper’ and the jazz age. We will end with considering contemporary trends and the globalisation of fashion generally, what does this mean for diversity and what are the ethical and sustainability issues which we will have to consider in future.