Elise By Olsen, the founder of Wallet magazine and former editor-in-chief of Recens Paper, is launching a fashion research library that will serve as a free, globally accessible resource for fashion researchers, industry professionals, and enthusiasts alike.
Launching today (October 15), the digital library includes more than 5,000 pieces of contemporary printed documents and artefacts, including books, magazines, lookbooks, show invitations, and illustrations from the likes of Acne, Comme des Garçons, Issey Miyake, Larry Clark, Martin Margiela, Nan Goldin, and more. The collection will keep growing through ongoing donations from fashion houses and publishers.
“International Library of Fashion Research will become the world’s most comprehensive repository of specialised fashion research and contemporary fashion publications. We will fill a much-needed gap in the preservation of and critical engagement with fashion’s printed culture at an institutional level, and build a free, globally accessible resource for fashion researchers, industry professionals, and amateur enthusiasts,” said Elise By Olsen in a statement.
The International Library of Fashion Research will initially open as a digital ‘institution’ or database, with the physical library set to open in spring 2021. It features a permanent collection of documents and a video talks series inspired by the people behind them. Helping curate this is a host of leading industry voices, such as The Kyoto Costume Institute director Akiko Fukai, IDEA Books founder Angela Hill, Dazed editor-in-chief Isabella Burley, and more.
“The digital sphere and websites have for a long time been a contested field for me, especially since I have been mainly working in print publishing for the past decade. For this project I wanted to create a ‘digital institution’ that is not a subordinate to the physical library, but a holistic and equal part of the concept and project,” she added.
You can find out more about The International Library of Fashion Research on their website.