View all images from the London College of Fashion: The Woolmark Company
History and Context
The International Wool Secretariat, now The Woolmark Company, was established in 1937 to undertake research and the global promotion of wool. To that end, they built up a large library of promotional photographs and accompanying press releases which they generously donated to the London College of Fashion in the 1980's when they relocated and were short of space. The two thousand or so black and white photographs date from the 1940's through to the early 1980's and capture both the fashion of the time and the style of photography.The press releases, which in some cases are still attached to the photographs, give additional information about the garments, designers/manufacturers, the photographer and any points of interest reflecting the promotional style and language of the time.
In the main, the photographs were issued by the I.W.S. London office, but some were issued by offices in France, Germany and the United States which reflect the international scope of The Woolmark Company.
Initially the collection consisted of a selection of around 400 digitised images, chosen because they represented the breadth of the collection and a detailed press release was still attached. The photographs were also chosen to give a balance of menswear and womenswear. This small collection has now been added to with the help of a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, and includes over 2000 further digital images. These additional images include many more famous designers, and also increase the span of the whole collection into the early 1980s.
Copyright and permitted uses
The images and metadata presented in the Woolmark archive are copyright of the London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London. They may be used for private research and study purposes only. Enquiries regarding reproduction should be sent to the address below but permission must also be sought from The Woolmark Company.
| Address: | Kirsten Berg Global Brand Integrity & Licensing Manager Australian Wool Innovation Ltd (owner of The Woolmark Company) Level 30, 380 George Street Sydney, Australia |
| Tel: | +61 2 8295 3100 |
| Fax: | +61 2 8295 4100 |
| Email: | kirsten.berg@wool.com |
| URL | http://www.woolmark.com |
| Address: | The Library London College of Fashion 20 John Princes Street London WIG OBJ |
| Tel: | 020 7514 7453 |
| Fax: | 020 7514 7580 |
| Email: | library@fashion.arts.ac.uk |
| URL | http://www.fashion.arts.ac.uk |
Image credits
- A suit for evening wear, Waltener, 1963 © London College of Fashion
- Harella suit, L.Harris (Harella) Ltd, 1956 © London College of Fashion
- Black jersey dress with striped tie, Marlborough, 1967 © London College of Fashion
- Hoof-stitch cable sweaters, John Adriaan at John French, 1958 © London College of Fashion