PEM’s collections of fashion and textiles represent an incredible geographic range and centuries of artistry. From the everyday to the exceptional, these holdings intersect with every collecting department in the museum, including the Phillips Library.

The museum’s American clothing collection is among the most important in the United States, with examples dating from the early 18th century to the present and representing many of New England’s prominent families, including the Crowninshields, who helped establish Salem as a seafaring hub. Among its areas of strength are military uniforms, a collection established by the Essex Institute following the end of the American Civil War in 1865, and significant holdings representing the work of notable designers, dressmakers and milliners.

George Rea Curwen’s collection of American decorative arts and textiles undergirds our holdings of New England fiber works, which span the 17th century to the present and comprise pictorial needlework and samplers, quilts and coverlets, domestic furnishings and contemporary fiber arts. The central portion of this collection was acquired in 1899.

PEM’s international textile and dress holdings represent the efforts of artists working in Europe, East and Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea and Oceania, as well as within the nations of Native America. These works of art include striking and technically superior examples of flags, banners, and domestic textiles, as well as clothing and adornment, from everyday items to haute couture. Ranging from hand-embroidered Indian kanthas (quilts) and capes made from mammal intestine by Unangax̂ (Aleut) artists in Alaska to a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawai’ian) boar tusk bracelet and runway fashions by contemporary Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo, many of these objects enrich other collection areas. Finally, PEM’s renowned footwear collection is one of the largest in the U.S., and encompasses items from across the globe, with the majority made between the 17th century and the present.

In 2019, PEM opened its first gallery dedicated to the exploration of fashion and design, signaling the critical role this important collection plays in revealing who we are and how we continuously and creatively respond to our changing world.