Date published: 2026-01-28 | Category: Heritage
Fashion Museum Bath has today unveiled Explore the Collection: a prototype of a new online catalogue that offers digital access to one of the UK’s most important contemporary fashion collections.
View the prototype online catalogue: https://www.fashionmuseum.co.uk/explore-collection
Through Explore the Collection users can delve into stories about more than 500 pieces from the Museum’s renowned Dress of the Year collection – with work from leading designers such as Mary Quant, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and more. As this first phase is a working prototype, user feedback is being welcomed to guide the next stages of content, storytelling and site development.
The launch is a major milestone in Bath and North East Somerset Council’s journey towards creating a new Fashion Museum in the heart of Bath, opening in 2030. This marks the first digital step in making this internationally significant collection accessible to audiences everywhere, in advance of the Museum’s transformation.
The project has been made possible through public funding by Arts Council England, through its Unlocking Collections programme, supported by National Lottery Project Grants, which supports museums to develop collections‑focused work and increase public engagement.
Opening up a defining collection
Explore the Collection brings every Dress of the Year object together online for the first time, enriched with new photography, expanded object information and fresh curatorial research.
Established in 1963, the Dress of the Year programme invites a leading fashion expert to select a look—or several looks—that capture the mood, innovation and direction of contemporary fashion. Over six decades, the collection has featured iconic designs by Ossie Clark, Karl Lagerfeld, Donatella Versace, Kenzo Takada, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Bianca Saunders, among many others.
Co‑designed with young people
The prototype website has been shaped directly with its future users. At the start of 2025, the Museum worked closely with groups of 16–24‑year‑olds, hosting hands‑on workshops at Bath & North East Somerset Libraries, facilitated by a digital engagement specialist. Participants tested layouts, proposed categories, assessed fashion media, and explored real‑world usability challenges.
Their ideas informed everything from the site’s visual design and navigation to the way objects are grouped and filtered, and the content and images found on the site - ensuring that the platform feels relevant, intuitive and inspiring to the next generation of fashion enthusiasts.
Design innovation and new digital approaches
Explore the Collection was then developed through a series of fast‑paced design sprints, each focusing on a core aspect of the digital experience: the search function, image presentation, object record pages and the exploratory use of AI tools to enhance collections data. Each sprint concluded with user‑testing sessions, allowing the team to refine the platform iteratively.
Behind the scenes, the Museum team has been strengthening catalogue data, updating object descriptions and commissioning new high‑quality photography. The Museum also collaborated with digital textiles specialist, and MyWorld Fellow, Gabrielle Shiner‑Hill to create 3D scans of selected Dress of the Year looks, opening up new ways to explore fashion virtually.
A foundation for the future Fashion Museum Bath
The launch of this prototype marks the first milestone in a wider digital programme that will run alongside preparations for the Museum’s new home. As Fashion Museum Bath develops its vision to be a world‑class centre of fashion, creativity and learning, expanding digital access is key to connecting audiences with the collection now and long into the future.
Sophie McKinlay, Fashion Museum Bath Project Director, comments:
“This prototype is our first big step towards a truly accessible Collection. Co-designed with young people and refined through user testing, it brings together more than 500 Dress of the Year records with richer data, sharper images and new ways to discover connections across decades of design. It’s also a foundation for the new museum - an invitation to our audiences to help shape what comes next by exploring the site and sharing their feedback.”
Councillor Paul Roper, Cabinet Member for Economic & Cultural Sustainable Development, Bath & North East Somerset Council, said:
“Explore the Collection is a powerful example of how digital innovation can open up world-class culture for everyone. As we move towards creating a new Fashion Museum in the heart of Bath by 2030, this prototype gives residents, students and visitors a compelling way to experience the city’s fashion collection right now. We’re grateful to Arts Council England and National Lottery players for supporting this ambitious step, which strengthens Bath’s position as a national centre for creativity, learning and design.”
Emmie Kell, Director of Museums and Cultural Property, Arts Council England, said:
“We’re excited to see audiences across the country engage with ‘Explore the Collection’, a major step forward in Fashion Museum Bath’s journey to reopening. By bringing the full Dress of the Year archive online and involving young people in the process, some of the UK’s most significant fashion artefacts will gain a new lease of life.
We believe public access to historic collections is vital, and digital formats reduce the barriers for communities to connect with their cultural heritage, sparking conversations about the objects shaping our world today. This is exactly the sort of work Unlocking Collections looks to support - widening impact and access far beyond the museum walls. We look forward to the positive impact this will bring for staff, volunteers and visitors alike.”
Users of the online catalogue are warmly invited to explore the prototype and share their feedback, which will directly inform the next phases of development and help shape the Museum’s long‑term digital strategy.
Explore the Collection at www.collections.fashionmuseum.co.uk