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Tucked inside LSU’s Human Ecology Building is a treasure trove of fashion history — an extraordinary collection of garments, accessories and textiles that rivals those of major institutions.
But with centuries-old gowns and garments comes the need for proper storage. Moths, mold, silverfish and humidity can threaten the LSU Textile and Costume Museum’s collection. So, when Michael Mamp was named museum director in the fall of 2022, one of his first orders of business was upgrading the museum’s storage facility.
Pat Alford, museum donor and volunteer, stands in the holding facility, backed by garments she donated to the museum’s collection. Alford was instrumental in helping Michael Mamp clean and catalogue the museum’s collection. Photos by Tobie Blanchard
The museum’s collection also includes rows of intricately beaded purses.
Morgan Strzynski, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Textiles, Apparel Design and Merchandising, stands in front of a collection designed by Louisiana native Geoffrey Beene.
Unique millinery work is included in the museum’s collection.
The LSU Textile and Costume Museum
has shelves of colorful shoes spanning
decades and designers. Its storage
system preserves the past while elevating
the future
A 1923 flapper style beaded dress by French designer Jean Patou.
Michael Mamp, director of the museum, shows off a 1767 French robe à la française that has been carefully cleaned and stored in the museum’s new state-of-the-art holding facility.
The museum’s exhibition space had recently been moved and renovated so it was time to focus on preserving what the museum had.
Mamp received $200,000 from a Board of Regents grant, allowing the museum to convert what had originally been the gallery space into storage. This includes museum-grade cabinetry on rails that allows for maximum storage and a specialized HVAC system to maintain optimal temperature and humidity.
The new storage system is preserving the past while elevating the future of fashion scholarship.
The custom-made, museum-grade cabinets seal when closed to keep pests from getting into the cabinet but they also include ventilation to prevent mold spore growth.
Fragile garments are stored in acid-free boxes with tissue paper, while sturdier pieces hang on padded hangers made in-house.
The collection itself is nothing short of remarkable. From a Charles Frederick Worth evening gown dated 1865 to a 1767 French robe à la française, the museum houses pieces that span centuries and continents.
“For a university to have a 1767, silk, in good condition example of French fashion from the 18th century is quite rare,” Mamp said.
But before the museum and its collection could shine, it needed to be cleaned. Mamp has spent the past three summers clearing, cleaning and cataloging the collection. Helping in the Herculean task of moving, washing, tagging and arranging gowns, shoes, hats, fans, purses, quilts and more was Pat Alford, a charter member of the Friends of the LSU Textile and Costume Museum, and Morgan Strzynski, a Ph.D. student.
Alford, who graduated from LSU in 1992 from what was then Human Ecology and is now the Department of Textiles, Apparel Design and Merchandising, has been involved with the museum since its inception and was happy to step in and help revamp the storage.
“I’m a physical person. It takes a lot to get me tired. I said, ‘Let’s go, let’s get it,’ and we did,” Alford said.
In addition to lending a physical hand to the museum, Alford has also offered financial support to the museum, donating funds for the storage facility and for the exhibits.
“I can’t donate the millions, but I can donate some things. And so, I love the collections. I love the people. I love what the museum stands for, and I adore him (Mamp), so anything he needs that I can handle, I’ll do it,” she said.
The admiration and camaraderie between Mamp and Alford are evident. He referred to Alford as an angel, and she called him visionary.
“He has such direction, and he knows where he is going and what needs to be done. He has eyes to see what’s worth it. He rolls out the exhibits and people flock. He has put this thing on the map,” she said of Mamp and the museum.
Alford and Mamp had Strzynski help as well. She has worked alongside Mamp since he came to LSU. She said preparing the collection was a lot more labor intensive than she expected but it has been a learning experience.
“It’s been a lot of trial and error but also learning a lot about what’s in our collection,” Strzynski said.
She helped map out the storage layout, catalog items and even move garments.
Despite the physical demands, Strzynski said he finds the work deeply rewarding.
“I have a background in fashion, so I had always heard of these designers and seen pictures. But this is really my first time interacting with designer clothes or couture,” she said. “It is kind of a glamorous job in that aspect because we get to work with so many interesting things and people.”
The museum’s holdings include everything from 19th-century bonnets and millinery from Louisiana socialites to 1930s platform shoes and 18th-century hand fans made of peacock feathers.
“We have a very strong designer collection,” Mamp said. “You could name any major American or European designer of the 20th century, and we would likely have it in the collection. That’s unusual at a university.”
With a searchable online database, a growing team of student curators and a vision for accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums, the LSU Textile and Costume Museum is poised for national recognition.
“It’s honestly been a massive amount of work,” Mamp said. “But we’re in a much better place now.”
View the museum’s database: Collections | LSU Department of Textiles, Apparel Design and Merchandising
