PUBLIC FASHION LIBRARY

World dress records published with evidence, image rights and correction history.

WORLD FASHION ATLAS

From mapto meaning.

Present-day countries are entry points. Historical places, cultural communities, production centres, trade and migration remain separately identified.

CALL NO.
WFD · ATL 001
FORMAT
EXPLORATION INDEX
UPDATED
2026-08-20
A textile shop in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong—the atlas links countries to places where cloth meets and circulates.Photo: Peachyeung316, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsIMAGE SOURCE CC BY-SA 4.0
Map layers
7 places shown
NATURAL EARTH · 1:110mSELECT A MAP MARKER FOR A SUMMARY; OPEN A GUIDE FROM THE LIST

United Kingdom selected

Place
United Kingdom
Classification
Sovereign country
Status
Collecting
Look count
10 looks
Place
Scotland
Classification
Constituent country
Status
Collecting
Look count
2 looks
Place
France
Classification
Sovereign country
Status
Research queue
Look count
No looks yet
Place
United States
Classification
Sovereign country
Status
Research queue
Look count
No looks yet
Place
Japan
Classification
Sovereign country
Status
Research queue
Look count
No looks yet
Place
India
Classification
Sovereign country
Status
Research queue
Look count
No looks yet
Place
West African cultural regions
Classification
Macro-region
Status
Research queue
Look count
No looks yet
Sovereign country01
Collecting10 LOOKS · 1981—1997

United Kingdom

The centre of the current collection, connecting royal casual dress, country clothing, knitwear and sportswear to places, events and product candidates.

OPEN CULTURAL GUIDE

HOW THE MAP WORKS

One point on the map, five kinds of place.

  1. 01Present-day countryEntry point and current shopping
  2. 02Historical place or polityPeriod name and boundaries
  3. 03Cultural communityBelonging across borders
  4. 04Production placeWorkshop, centre and maker
  5. 05Date rangeMeanings change over time

Classification and map references: UNESCO (opens in a new tab)／Getty TGN (opens in a new tab)／Natural Earth (opens in a new tab)

CLIMATE LENS · WORKING GUIDE

Climate is one force shaping dress.

No country is reduced to one climate. Season, altitude, city, labour and movement remain visible; labels such as ‘hot-country dress’ are avoided.

RAIN · WIND

Maritime Britain

Read waxed cotton, wool and layers through class, work and leisure as well as rain and wind.

HEAT · MONSOON · ALTITUDE

Multiple climates of India

Move beyond a single cotton story by naming region, humidity, technique, use and trade.

SEASON · HUMIDITY

Season and layering in Japan

Follow fibre, lining, construction and seasonal change with period and regional differences.

HEAT · RAIN · HARMATTAN

West African variation

Weave width, dye, ceremony, markets and urban life matter alongside ventilation.

CONNECTED RECORDS

Continue through the catalogue

TIME

Cross the same period

Compare simultaneous change without forcing one story.

MATERIALS

Follow where cloth is made

Trace fibre, technique, labour and trade from production places.

LOOK FILES

Search the look files

Find verified records by place, period and garment.