Emma Treleaven

Biography

Emma Treleaven is the Collections Manager at Amersham Museum, a PhD student at London College of Fashion, and a trainee bespoke shoemaker. She has a bachelors honours degree in Fashion History and Theory from Central Saint Martins, a masters degree in Museum Studies from University College London, and she was a 2023 Understanding British Portraits Research Fellow. Emma has worked as a curator, collections manager, and archivist at institutions like the Victoria and Albert Museum, Bletchley Park, Middleport Pottery, and the Charles Dickens Museum. Alongside her museum work, Emma’s practice-led PhD research focuses on the history of women shoemakers working in London, which is also the inspiration for much of her shoemaking practice.
Emma’s recent publications include “Boots, Babies and Community: A Reflection on Historic Bootmaking in the Modern World” in the Bloomsbury Dress and Costume Library (2025) and “The Ateliers” book chapter in the exhibition catalog Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams (2019).