The Dress and Textile Specialists (DATS) and the Plastics Subject Specialist (PSSN) networks have been jointly awarded a grant of £14,500 from Art Fund’s Network grants scheme.

This significant grant will be used to further research into a significant but neglected subject area: garments made from synthetic materials such as viscose, Terylene™ and Lycra™. The joint DATS and PSSN project will run from 2020 to April 2022 and aims to promote best practice and equip museum staff with the confidence and skills to handle state-of-the-art curatorial care for synthetic garment collections.

The project will start with four expert-led workshops focussing on the identification of synthetic textiles, their care and conservation. These workshops will inform an online synthetic garments booklet available on the DATS website. Further workshops for DATS members will put the booklet into practice.

Further information about the project can be found here.