Exhibition - Textiles: The Art of Mankind

The Fashion and Textile Museum proudly presents Textiles: The Art of Mankind, a celebration of the deep entanglement between textiles, people, and our world. The exhibition brings together a vibrant collection of objects from around the world that tell stories, express individuality, and celebrate our relationship with animals and symbolic thought through pattern.

With many works drawn from the Jo Ann C. Stabb Design Collection at the University of California Davis, this is a unique opportunity to see a stunning range of items never before exhibited in the UK. The exhibition highlights the enduring power of textiles, showcasing how they have been used for centuries to communicate status, beliefs, and identity across cultures.

Siwa Oasis Wedding Kaftan, Egyptian Artisan, 20th Century.

Beginning with an exploration of textiles’ societal importance, materials, and techniques, the main galleries showcase how textiles communicate identity and belief across time and geography. Vibrant garments, fabrics, and accessories explore textiles as symbols of office, authority, and belonging. An Egyptian wedding dress adorned with mother-of-pearl, silk embroidery, and cowry shells sits beside a Thai Singing Shawl, a funeral garment decorated with beetle wings. 

Child's Dress or Shirt, Turkmeni Maker, c.1940.

An appliquéd Turkmen coat and a Bolivian fiesta hat highlight textiles' role in identity and celebration. Ethnographic garments from Japan, China, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Nigeria, and India are juxtaposed with modern Western pieces, including a logoed golfer’s cap and an embroidered panel honouring the lesbian and gay support for the 1980s miners’ strike.

Textiles have long depicted the human form, often portraying mythological figures, revered beings, or symbols of bravery and mystery. The exhibition features a hand-painted Chinese silk scroll of a legendary swordswoman and Ivory Coast panels showing hunters in earth pigments on hand-spun cotton. The practice of depicting the human form in textiles reveals the ways in which societies have honoured their ancestors, celebrated their heroes, and expressed cultural ideals through fabric.

Huipil (detail), Maya Culture weaver, before 1978.

Animals also feature prominently, symbolising power, luck, and spirituality. A 19th-century Chinese quail, a Thai peacock door hanging, and an Indian bird-print scarf highlight avian imagery. Crocodiles in Aboriginal works and Indian artefacts warn of environmental threats, while Tibetan snow leopard puppets and appliquéd iguanas evoke folklore. Mythical creatures such as dragons and phoenixes, often linked to prosperity and transformation, appear throughout the collection, reinforcing the deep connection between nature and human creativity.

Textile yardage, double ikat. Indian artisans, 1962.

The exhibition also explores abstract pattern, from Ikat and gingham to Peruvian ponchos and Indian saris, revealing hidden meanings in textile design. It delves into textile innovation, from dyeing and weaving to 3D printing and sustainability, illustrating how traditional and contemporary techniques continue to shape the industry.

Embroidered Street Scenes from Yorkshire and South London, 1980's.

Textile making is inherently collaborative. Connecting Threads highlights the work of renowned textile artist Lynn Setterington. Since the 1980s, her practice has evolved from embroidered vignettes - charting her journey from a Yorkshire village to Brixton - to community-based projects inspired by Kantha quilting. Her work explores sustainability, consumerism, and social connection, using stitch to unite communities, address mental health, and commemorate shared histories. Many of her projects bring people together through shared experiences, reinforcing the importance of textiles in building relationships and preserving traditions.

Textiles: The Art of Mankind presents a breathtaking range of objects, showing how textiles remain deeply intertwined with human history, identity, and creativity. The exhibition highlights unexpected connections across cultures, reminding us of the universal language woven into every thread.

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Further Information:

Image Credits:

Lead Image: Cotton Mola, Guna Indian, 1960's to 70's. Copyright ©2005-2012 The Regents of the University of California, Davis campus. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

Images 1 - 4: Copyright ©2005-2012 The Regents of the University of California, Davis campus. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

5: Copyright Lynn Setterington.