Fashion Theory: Westminster Menswear Archive

This week, my latest article, co-authored with Dr. Danielle Sprecher, has been published in Fashion Theory.

The article examines the Westminster Menswear Archive, highlighting its role as a groundbreaking resource for menswear research, industry collaboration, and fashion education. Central to the archive’s approach is the influence of Massimo Osti, whose collection of technical, military, and functional garments served as a key inspiration for the archive’s foundational strategy and acquisition practices.

The Westminster Menswear Archive (WMA) was established in 2016 as a specialized teaching and research collection focused on menswear. Addressing the historical underrepresentation of menswear in fashion archives, the WMA has rapidly grown into a vital resource for both academic and industry research. This article explores the archive’s origins, collection strategy, and its pivotal role in supporting design education, research, and industry engagement. Through key acquisitions, including garments from designers like Alexander McQueen and Massimo Osti, the WMA highlights menswear’s diverse evolution, from military uniforms to high fashion. The archive has also contributed to significant exhibitions, including Invisible Men (2019) and Umbro 100: Sportswear x Fashion (2024). This paper outlines the challenges the WMA faces, such as managing rapid collection growth and expanding digital access, while underscoring its critical role in shaping the future of menswear studies.

Discover the full article here.

Manchester City and 1950s Sportswear Rivalries

Last week, while researching Umbro at The British Library, I was struck by how, by the 1950s, sportswear brands were already competing intensely to have teams wear their kits—a practice we often think of as a more modern strategy.

For example, during the 1955 FA Cup final at Wembley, both Manchester City and Newcastle United wore Umbro kits, underscoring Umbro’s significant presence in the market. However, the competitive nature of 1950s sportswear was evident in Litesome Sportswear’s decision to provide Manchester City with a distinctive two-colour tracksuit specifically for the event. This choice highlighted Litesome’s ambition to distinguish itself within an increasingly crowded market, aiming to position the brand as a preferred choice for professional sports teams.

Images left to right:

Bobby Johnstone FA Cup shirt, 1955

Umbro advert, 1955

Manchester City wearing Litesome tracksuit, 1955

Litesome advert, 1955

Liam Gallagher, Berghaus, and the Clash of High and Low Fashion

The reaction this week to Liam Gallagher sporting the reissued Berghaus Trango jacket reveals how seemingly non-fashion brands like Berghaus—appropriated by British youth in the '80s—continue to carry complex cultural weight today.

The Westminster Menswear Archive holds both a vintage Trango jacket and a pair of Lidl trainers, pieces that highlight how the meritocracy of design is still tainted by a fashion system deeply embedded in classist notions of taste and status. Does the reaction to the Berghaus launch this week reveal the complexity of this relationship, or does it reinforce the lingering divides between 'high' and 'low' culture in fashion?