LCF Archives and Library

London College of Fashion's world class library and fashion archives are housed at the John Prince's Street site (JPS). These valuable reference facilities offer students the opportunity to learn from fashion history and contextualise their studies.

LCF library

London College of Fashion Library, housed at John Prince’s Street, is the UK's leading fashion library. Our extensive resources include 85,000 books on all aspects of the fashion industry from garment construction to cosmetic science, DVDs and videos and over 390 print periodicals and 20,000 e-journals. Electronic information resources can be accessed via the e-library

Visitors

Visitors may use the library by appointment. Please book in advance by telephone 020 7514 7455/6150 - daily visitor numbers are limited.

Alumni

The library is open to graduates of University of the Arts London who are members of the Alumni Association. Read more UAL Alumni Association benefits.

Special collections

Rare Publications Collection

The collection contains rare books and periodicals reflecting the subject interests of the College. It includes:

The Tailor and Cutter Academy Archive

Tailors and Outfitters Assistants’ General Friendly Association
Access is by appointment only.

Materials Collection

A reference collection of both cutting edge and standard textile samples.

Fashion archives at LCF

The London College of Fashion Archives chart the history of the College and the fashion industry through a wide range of material in many formats, from documents to oral history, photographs, paper patterns, shoes and garments . These eccentric and eclectic collections focus on fashion history and include Drapers Records from from 1887 to today, the Cordwainer College Historic Shoe archive and original Mary Quant make-up.

To reflect the breadth of interests and specialisms the college practices, these collections hold pieces from the full fashion circuit – including the design process, production, promotion and, through oral histories and individual wearer’s wardrobes, the personal – as well as finished products and garments. This means our collections feature objects ranging from tailoring patterns to couture clothing to an orthopaedic shoe for a sheep.

As well as illustrating LCF’s history, the archives build on this creative past and continue to serve as an inspiration point for researchers and practitioners.

Access

You can visit the archives if you're a student, staff, researcher or member of the general public, by appointment.

LCF Archives are located in Room 306 on the third floor of LCF’s John Prince’s Street site.
The archives are open by appointment only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. To make an appointment, please email: archives@fashion.arts.ac.uk
Please be aware that we book up quickly, so appointments need to be made in advance.
Introductions and specialist sessions for groups are also available. If you are a current UAL student interested in organising one of these sessions, please notify your course leader or email the archive account.

Collections

We are currently in the ongoing process of digitising our archives. In the meantime, for a list and summaries of many of the collections we hold, please follow this link. Some of the collections are already digitised on the UAL collections catalogue.

Meet the archivist

Whatever subject you study or discipline you hope to go into, the thing that each one has in common is the central thread of a fashion product (whether you want to go on to design it, study it or sell it). The archives are a treasure trove of these products – these objects – in all their forms, whether it’s a trade journal, a sample book or a beaded Dior gown.

Susanna Cordner – Senior Research Fellow, Archives