Due to COVID restrictions, the Seneca Fashion Resource Centre is currently closed, and we are not accepting donations at this time unless they fill critical gaps in the collection. These include people of colour, our First Nations history, LGBTQ+, and those living with a disability. If you have a donation that can help fill some of these gaps, please contact Dr. Mark Joseph O’Connell mark.oconnell@senecacollege.ca to arrange a meeting.

Seneca’s Fashion Resource Centre has, since 1989, collected what Canadians have worn.  The purpose of the collection is to provide a resource centre rather than a museum so that those who study fashion may do so in a unique way.  The examination of items worn by men, women and children from the past provides, awe-inspiring insight and information for all students of fashion.

The Centre was established through the dedication of many faculty in the School of Fashion including Claire Becker, Caroline Routh, Bev Newburg and Dale Peers.  It has been supported by all of the faculty within the School of Fashion and utilized by not only students and faculty of the multi-disciplined programs within the school but by other departments across the College.

Professor Dale Peers (emeritus 2020) the former Costume Coordinator was actively involved with the collection since its inception.  Her focus was on the care and preservation of the collection as well as finding ways to bring this unique method of appreciating and studying fashion to as many people as possible. She strove to find ways for others to enjoy the collection as much as she does.

A Word from Dale Peers …

When I introduce myself, the first thing I generally say is that I am a professor in the School of Fashion at Seneca College.  I have been teaching for what chronologically is a long time but feels new every day! I love being in the classroom with my students  and discovering something new in a subject that deals with the past, present and future.

The development of this blog allows me to spread the word about this fabulous collection even further afield. I look forward to what the future will bring as a result of this.