Research Summary

Fabrics showing synthetic coatings are an example of materials commonly found in fashion and design collections worldwide. Mainly composed of TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) or p-PVC (plasticized polyvinyl chloride) coatings, they have been reported by several museums as highly challenging to preserve due to their instability, limited knowledge of causes and absence of adequate preservation strategies, which has already led to the loss of iconic cultural items.

The doctoral project addresses the urgent need in conservation to fill in the gap in knowledge regarding the long-term behavior of synthetic coatings in fashion collections and seeks to provide suitable preventive guidelines for their preservation. For this purpose, a comprehensive assessment of two internationally relevant fashion collections will be carried on – Museu do Design e da Moda (Lisbon, Portugal) and ModeMuseum (Antwerp, Belgium). 

This study is integrated with the project Glossy Surfaces, led by an international consortium of museums and scientific partners.