Cataloguing changing clothes

Over the last 174 years, how the V&A collects and labels objects has continually changed. Museums are not neutral and often reproduce cultural and colonial biases. Here, we have chosen objects that have been miscategorised and misunderstood. Their origins were recorded incorrectly with disregard for local making practices. The cultural specificity of clothing makes many of us experts and allows diverse voices to change and challenge the V&A's cataloguing processes. Both visitors and staff alike can play essential roles in decolonising how we understand and interpret the objects in our collections.

Written by: Decolonising Reading and Listening Group, V&A
Published: November 2026

Seasonal Display