The SFRC will give the Seneca community tours of the archives on Tuesday, November 26th, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesday, December 4th, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The SFRC was founded in 1989 by faculty members in the School of Fashion. The collection has grown to over 15,000 artifacts, including 12,000 plus garments. The online repository showcases 1688 garments and accessories. Objects in the collection range from the early 1800s to the present day and were generously donated by over 600 individual donors. Our donors include fashion industry professionals, costume designers, college donors, public figures, and the general public. One of our largest donors is the Seneca community of faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
The SFRC is not a museum; it operates as a resource centre to support experiential learning opportunities in the School of Fashion. The collection is visible in displays around the Newnham campus. These displays are based on topical themes and examples to support project inspiration and ideation phases. Historical artifacts are featured in bi-weekly displays in the fashion history classroom to surround students with physical examples of the objects and trends featured in the weekly lecture content. The collection can be accessed by students, faculty, and visiting researchers to support object-based research, with items from the collection featured in multiple academic articles and books. The collection preserves the work of luxury, ready-to-wear, international and Indigenous designers, including the archives of Marilyn Brooks, Claire Haddad and Vivienne Poy.
The SFRC recently reopened to donations after pausing due to COVID-19 restrictions and staff changes. It is currently looking to expand its collection in the following areas.
- Garments and accessories produced by Indigenous designers and makers from any period
- Fashion that was designed and made by international designers reflecting the fashion traditions and aesthetics of cultures around the globe
- Clothing that uses innovative approaches to sustainability and inclusive design
- Garments from past historical periods
- Luxury fashion brands
- Innovative work by Canadian Designers
- The work of Seneca alumni
- Costume design from theatre, film and television
- Garments and accessories with interesting social and cultural history reflecting life in Canada
- Uniforms from competitive athletes on the national and international levelÂ
- Items that reflect or were part of Canadian events, history, politics…
If you are interested in learning more about donating to the collection, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Tarah Burke at tarah.burke@senecapolytechnic.ca. If you are on campus on November 26th or December 4th, please join us for a behind-the-scenes tour and the opportunity to view some of our special pieces.
