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Gallery of Costume

Welcome to the Kent State University Museum, home of extraordinary collections of historic dress, fashion, textiles, and decorative arts. Here you will find works by many of the world’s great artists and designers, known and unknown, from across time and continents.

The Museum was founded in 1982 alongside the Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman School of Fashion Design and Merchandising, and offers invaluable first-hand experiences for all students, faculty and staff at Kent State University. The Museum also serves the culturally rich communities of Northeastern Ohio as well as global audiences through the loan of objects to museums, scholarly research, and traveling exhibitions from the distinguished collection. 

Romanian blouse
Stitched: Regional Dress Across Europe

Drawing from the rich collection of Kent State University Museum, this exhibition showcases common features shared by regional costume across Europe. In its original context in villages, regional dress carefully marked social and cultural differences. Religious affiliation, gender, age, and marital status were all instantly recognizable at a glance by members of the community. A person’s outfit signaled which village or region they came from. Focusing on these signs of difference obscures the common vocabulary that rural residents across Europe used to shape their clothing.

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  • fashion timeline
    Fashion Timeline

    Palmer and Mull Galleries | Sara Hume, Curator
    The “Fashion Timeline” showcases the Kent State University Museum’s world-class collection of historic fashions. Encompassing over two centuries of fashion history, this exhibition is designed to show the evolution of styles and silhouettes while contextualizing the pieces with relevant political, technological and cultural developments.

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  • Fashion Focus
    Events

    The Kent State University Fashion Museum host many exhibits throughout the year. Please be sure to check the schedule frequently for updates. 

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  • Store

    The Museum Store is located on the left side of the lobby as you enter the Museum. Jewelry, apparel, books, stationery, and other fashion-related merchandise are available for purchase. Additionally, the store features select student and faculty made merchandise from the School of Fashion Design and Merchandising. All faculty, staff, and students with a current KSU I.D. receive a discount of 20% off regular price items in the Museum Store. If you aren't able to visit the Museum Store in person, you may order items by contacting museum@kent.edu.

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