BARNSLEY.- The Civics’ major autumn exhibition Knitwear: Chanel to Westwood presents over 150 inspirational knitwear pieces from the collection of Mark and Cleo Butterfield, on show to the public from 5 September - 13 November.
Curator at The Civic, David Sinclair comments: “The Gallery@ The Civic, is delighted to be hosting this major retrospective from the Fashion and Textile Museum.” The exhibition presents highlights from designs by Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel and rare crocheted evening dresses from the 1930s to late 20th century innovations by Vivienne Westwood.
Knitwear: Chanel to Westwood charts the influence of the art movements Pop, Punk and Deconstruction alongside new knitwear technologies and design innovation. Curator of the Fashion and Textile Museum, Dennis Nothdruft said: “Knitwear is imbued with narrative and memory. This exhibition is a way of accessing other people’s stories, in particular the fashion sensibilities of collectors Mark and Cleo Butterfield through their iconic and personal pieces.”
The exhibition celebrates knitwear in fashion through the decades in key sections, Dennis points out: “Highlights include rare Chanel cardigan suits, 1930s swimwear, vibrant Missoni patterns and 1970s Bill Gibb as well as conceptual garments by Comme des Garçons, Vivienne Westwood and Julien MacDonald.”
Meanwhile, on the Panorama gallery is Yorkshire Fashion Archive (YFA), providing a unique historical and cultural record of Yorkshire life and documents clothing produced, purchased and worn by Yorkshire folk throughout the 20th Century. Based in the University of Leeds: School of Design and underpinned by research excellence in textiles, the Yorkshire Fashion Archive is a publically accessible collection of haute couture, fashion garments and everyday clothing. The collection reflects changing social attitudes and multi-cultural influences, economic prosperity, global trends and the regional technical excellence in textiles and clothing over a 100 year period.
Supported by The Civic and Experience Barnsley, community organisation Crafting for Carers will be hosting Knit2gether activity sessions alongside the fashion exhibitions. These friendly activity sessions are aimed at carers and the people they care for, encouraging you to regain your knitting skills, acquire new ones or have a cup of tea with friends. On Saturday 10 October, join in at The Civic for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and help change lives by creating a soft and comfortable ‘Knitted Knocker’ for women who have undergone mastectomies or other procedures.
