Out of the Closet and Into the Street: Queering the Fashion Research Collection
In celebration of Pride month, undergraduate and graduate fashion students at The Creative School displayed their exhibit Out of the Closet and Into the Street (external link) at the Assembly Gallery. The innovative exhibition, curated by the Fashion Research Collection (FRC), explores 2SLGBTQIA+ history and representation.
Out of the Closet and Into the Street on display at the Assembly Gallery in the Image Arts building
"We're thrilled to see the FRC come alive in such a dynamic and inclusive way," says Eve Townsend, Director of the FRC. "Our students creatively reimagined several FRC objects through a Queer lens. They’ve filled gaps in our current collection and carved out important space for themselves and others."
Queering the Archive
The exhibit connects artifacts from the FRC to historical Queer figures, movements, and symbols by incorporating signifiers like carnations, buttons, and hankies, which have historically expressed Queer identity, politics, and desire.
“This exhibit highlights that we are a contemporary research collection, one that is alive and generative of new meanings and interpretations,” Townsend adds.
Main exhibition text on Assembly Gallery entrance door
Main exhibition poster
Collaboration and Creation
Under the guidance of Dr. Alison Matthews David and Eve Townsend, the exhibition was developed during Fashion Curation and Exhibition courses over the winter term and features the collaborative work of students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
“Out of the Closet and Into the Streets allowed curatorial students to engage first-hand with object based research and to gain experience with the handling and mounting of historic and contemporary pieces of fashion,” said Exhibition and Curation Collections Assistant Patrick Taylor.
Blue, gray, and rust-coloured plaid pull-on jumpsuit by Norma Kamali (c. 1980s) and Purple checked wool womenswear suit (c. 1909) shown with accompanying text
Photograph of Oscar Wilde by Napoleon Sarony (c. 1882) and studio portrait of two young men by E.S. Phillips (c. 1870s) on display, along with hankies, pride buttons, and carnations. Image courtesy of Eve Townsend
Celebrating Queer Histories
The exhibit invites visitors to celebrate the Queer histories embedded within the FRC. It not only reimagines items in the collection as Queer but also challenges conventional methods of exhibition, making the archive a space for new interpretations and inclusivity.
Visitors make carnations from tissue paper at the interactive Carnation Station during the exhibit’s opening reception
This exhibition stands as a testament to the vibrant, ongoing dialogue between past and present, and the power of Queer representation in fashion.
The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University
The Creative School is a dynamic faculty that is making a difference in new, unexplored ways. Made up of Canada’s top professional schools and transdisciplinary hubs in media, communication, design and cultural industries, The Creative School offers students an unparalleled global experience in the heart of downtown Toronto.
