We want your #LeedsThreads

Collections, Dress & Textiles

We are very excited to be planning an exhibition that focuses on the way clothes shopping and fashion in Leeds has changed over time. It is set to open at Leeds City Museum next February and will focus on the way we consume fashion, from high-end tailoring to slogan tees.

Leeds and shopping go hand-in-hand and it’s one of the main reasons people visit Leeds. But will the rise of ‘fast fashion’ continue to dominate the shopping scene, or are we going to see a shift in buying habits as sustainable living gains popularity. Our exhibition will include some of Leeds Museums & Galleries’ most fascinating fashions and we’ve rummaged through our collections to find the best examples of how fashion and shopping has changed.

To help us uncover the stories and the clothes that are part of them, we are asking the public to help us gather garments, photographs and personal stories that relate to Leeds and its clothes shops.

St. Michael coat, bought in Leeds.
Jewellery bought in Aladdin’s Cave.

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Have you purchased an outfit from Victoria Gate in Leeds? Do you own a garment that was made by a relative who lived in Harehills? Are you photographed wearing a Schofield’s dress? Perhaps you or a friend work at Kirkgate Market selling clothes? Or maybe your relative owned a tailors shop on the Headrow?

If so, we want to hear from you. Tag us on social media using #LeedsThreads, or email our curator [email protected] to share your stories.

Tote bag from Tall Boys Beer Market.
Men’s Farah top, bought in a store in Leeds.
Clarks trigenics trainers.
Jacket from Cos, Victoria Gate.

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We are particularly interested in discovering stories that relate to:

What are your memories of clothes shopping in Leeds?
Can you tell us about clothes that you’ve either bought or that have been made in Leeds? Any pictures you can provide would be great.
Can you let us know where you go clothes shopping in Leeds now? The high street (e.g. M&S, Zara, Primark), independents (e.g. Kirkgate Market, vintage shops, charity shops) or elsewhere?
Which other ways do you shop for clothes – or do you make them yourself? (e.g. online shops, Ebay, kilo-sales, clothes-swaps)

We are keen to receive information about clothes, photographs and stories that relate to any time period, from anyone. For your chance to feature in the exhibition, please get in touch. Whether you make it, shop for it or swap for it, we want to hear from you.

Follow the #LeedsThreads hashtag on social media