FIDM Museum at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising

Mission Statement: The FIDM Museum & Galleries provides students, researchers, designers, and the public with resources to examine the role of historic fashion, accessories, textiles, jewelry, fragrance, and related ephemera in their relationship to society, history, and technology. The collections are sustained by standard museum practices for continued acquisition, preservation, and display. Educational, outreach, and volunteer programs support the scholarly interpretation of the collections. History: The FIDM Museum & Library, Inc. was founded in 1978 to serve FIDM and the community. Since January 1999, the Museum's operations have been separate from the Library in order to offer more specialized care and attention to the specific needs of the historic fashion collection, and museum-trained personnel have been added to the staff. Collections: The FIDM Museum houses over 15,000 garments, accessories, and textiles from the 18th century through the present day, including film and theatre costume. It is one of the largest such collections in the United States. The Museum Collections are split into two major parts: the Permanent Collection, used for exhibition and research; and the Study Collection, used by students for hands-on education and inspiration. The Study Collection is divided among the four FIDM campuses: Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Orange County. Collections are maintained using standard museum practices advocated by the American Association of Museums and are constantly researched, exhibited, and published, both nationally and internationally. The FIDM Museum houses the early Hollywood Costume Collection on loan from the Department of Recreation and Parks, City of Los Angeles, as well as the Rudi Gernreich Archive and Gianni Versace Menswear Archive. FIDM Museum Special Collections includes periodicals, books, fashion ephemera, and the Michel Arnaud Fashion Photography Archive.

FIDM Museum is a participant in the LAAS and ONE Archives Hidden Histories project.