From the Queen Mother to Alexander McQueen: Royal School of Needlework exhibition set to open in London

The exhibition is set to open in London on 1 April ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

The 1937 Robe of Estate of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother (Royal Collection Trust)

A new exhibition displaying historical garments from the Queen Mother, Duchess of Cambridge and Edward VII is set to open at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London.

Titled 150 Years of the Royal School of Needlework: Crown to Catwalk, the show has been launched to coincide with the Royal School of Needlework’s (RSN) landmark birthday.

Described as a “rich and immersive exploration of history, fashion, and embroidery”, the exhibition will present over 120 embroideries and designs spanning from 1872 to the current day.

Featured pieces included garments from the Royal Collection, including the 1937 Robe of Estate of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, which has not been exhibited since the 1990s, and Edward VII’s Coronation Cope.

A sample of Kate Middleton’s wedding dress, on which the RSN Embroidery Studio worked with Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, will also be on display, alongside the Garter Banner of Queen Mary from 1910, and a Blackwork (a form of embroidery) portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge.

As well as royal creations, other pieces on display range from ecclesiastical commissions, military wear, and contemporary collaborations with designers such as E. Tautz and Nicholas Oakwell, alongside examples from the Arts and Crafts movement.

Mantle of Edward VII (Royal Collection Trust)

The exhibition will also include work by past students, including those who have gone on to work in couture fashion houses, such as Alexander McQueen.

The RSN was opened in 1872 by Princess Helena, Lady Victoria Welby and Lady Marian Alford to provide teaching and raise the profile of embroidery as an art form.

In addition to the displays, visitors will also have the opportunity to try embroidery techniques for themselves with workshops and talks to inspire and educate.

Head of exhibitions at the Fashion and Textile Museum Dennis Nothdruft described the show as “a fitting celebration of this important and cherished national institution.”

He said: “The Royal School of Needlework has been instrumental in preserving this nation’s traditional needlework skills; honouring the past whilst ensuring their place in the future, marrying contemporary design with peerless technique.”

The exhibition follows a surge in arts and crafts sparked during the first UK lockdown and sustained by the popularity of TV shows such as The Great British Sewing Beeand Grayson’s Art Club, which sees the Turner-winning artist bringing the nation together through art.

In August 2020, Hobbycraft reported an increase in like-for-like online sales of more than 200 per cent during the first lockdown period.

The arts and crafts retailer said it had experienced “exceptional levels of customer demand”, with crochet proving the most popular craft with searches up 140 per cent, followed by macramé (134 per cent) and brush lettering (70 per cent).