The KSU Historic Costume and Textile Museum is composed of clothing and textile artifacts; dolls; accessories; implements and tools associated with the creation of clothing and/or textiles; and a variety of paper artifacts such as patterns, period magazines, and photographs.  It began at the turn of the century with the articles that Home Economics professors collected as teaching examples and personal souvenirs over the years.  Pieces in the collection date back to as early as 1740 and as recent as the 1990's. It has since been augmented by donations and bequests of faculty, students, alumni, and people throughout the world.  It is well-known for its collection of Chinese textiles from the Ch'ing Dynasty and its ethnic costumes and textiles.  The collection tracks history of Kansas for over 200 years.   It includes numerous American and European designer pieces such as: Ann Fogarty, Nan Duskin, Ben Zuckerman, Jerry Silverman, Bill Blass, Halston, Oscar de LaRenta, Adolfo, Christian Dior, Geoffrey Beene, Pucci, Valentino, Schiaparelli, and Paulene Trigere.  Recently the collection was given a substantial donation from American Designer Calvin Klein.

The Museum is administered by the Department of Apparel, Textiles and Interior Design on Kansas State University's College of Human Ecology.  The Collection is located in Justin Hall in the College of Human Ecology, where it is maintained in a climate and light controlled environment.  Artifacts are displayed throughout Justin Hall in display cases.  Many of the exhibits are the work of student volunteers who learn about creating historical exhibits.

The mission of the Museum is to preserve clothing and textile items of historic and artistic value that will facilitate educational, research, and service activities in the Department, College, and University. 

The Museum contributes to the mission of the Department of Apparel, Textiles and Interior Design, the College of Human Ecology, and Kansas State University by its use in support of the following goals:

• To serve as an active repository for significant clothing and textiles artifacts acquired by the Department.
• To preserve this Museum for use by present and future generations as a resource for instruction and research. 
• To promote the study and understanding of artifacts in the Museum.
• To support Department curricula, especially in the area of Historic Costume and Historic Textiles.

Interested individuals may become involved with the Historic Costume and Textiles Collection through:

• Donations of historic artifacts of designer origin, or with unique stylistic or designer elements, or provides an emphasis on the cultural aspects of clothing.
• Donations non-historic supplies.
• Financial contributions to help defray costs of maintaining this valuable resource

For further information, please contact:

Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design

225 Justin Hall

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS  66506-1405

(785)532-6993