Overview

The Fashion and Textile Museum is a specialist fashion museum with step free access, which has no permanent displays but hosts changing temporary exhibitions. This review is for their The Fabric of Democracy exhibition, curated by Amber Butchart. It is on until 3 March 2024. The exhibition is astonishing, it covers printed propaganda textiles from the French Revolution to Brexit. There are many items on display that at first glance look fashionable or attractive, however, exploring further and you will discover the political subtext covering communism to fascism and everything in between. It's an exhibition that really makes you think differently about how fashion is portrayed.

Transport & Parking

The nearest tube/ train station is London Bridge. London Bridge tube has limited step free access. From the tube/ train station take the St Thomas Street exit, and it's a 5 minute walk. There are several buses that stop nearby. The museum is a distinctive orange and pink building, so it stands out and easy to find.

Access

The museum has step free access throughout. There is a manual door at the entrance and a slight slope into the museum. In the foyer there is some bench seating, without arms and there is further seating on both floors of the gallery. The exhibition is well spaced out with wide aisles. There is a lift to the upper floor, which requires assistance from a member of staff to use, or alternatively a flight of stairs with handrails on both sides. The museum is relatively small, which makes it very manageable to go round. There is a large print guide.

Toilets

On the ground floor there is an accessible toilet. It is spacious and clean with grab rails and a emergency red cord.

Staff

I visited on a pre-booked curator's tour of the exhibition. Staff welcomed me when I arrived. The guided tour was led by Amber Butchart and was excellent. She showed the group the entire exhibition, extremely knowledgeable and engaging, she also found places to stop near benches so people could rest.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

The tour took place on a Monday when the museum is usually closed and was only open to the group, so it was not crowded. It made it very pleasant and comfortable to go around. The tour was informative but also relaxed, people were encouraged to ask questions, and look around on their own afterwards. This is a wonderful and intriguing exhibition, with lots to think about, but also you could just go and see the beautifully made items on display. Highly recommend visiting and would be very happy to return.

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