Home / Arts and Entertainment / 50 Years Later: Lost Fashion Collection Reborn
50 Years Later: Lost Fashion Collection Reborn
8 Feb
Summary
- A fire bomb attack in 1976 destroyed Belfast museum's fashion collection.
- An exhibition, 'Ashes to Fashion,' showcases the rebuilt collection.
- The Lennox Quilt is the sole surviving item from the original display.
A major fashion and textile collection, lost in a 1976 fire bomb attack in Belfast, has been painstakingly revived by the Ulster Museum. The blaze at Malone House destroyed the museum's entire costume and textile holdings, representing a significant cultural loss.
Fifty years later, the 'Ashes to Fashion' exhibition marks a new cultural moment, showcasing a collection rebuilt through decades of dedicated curation, acquisitions, and donations. It highlights the resilience of museum professionals in overcoming disaster.
The exhibition features 120 objects spanning five centuries of fashion, including the 1712 handstitched Lennox Quilt, the only item to survive the original fire. Also displayed is a 1660s embroidery casket, an 18th-century silk gown, and modern pieces like a Chanel suit worn by Christy Turlington.
