Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum: Promoting the educational role of international fashion universities’ museums

The Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum has the mission to convey the knowledge of one the most influential fashion designers in history. Through the Transmissions educational project, the Museum connected with the world’s most prestigious fashion universities (Central Saint Martins, Kyoto Seika University, Parsons School of Design and Shenkar College) creating a cross-border partnership to transmit Balenciaga’s creative heritage. Back home, students and tutors liaised with their own university museums (CSM Archives and Shenkar Rose Archive) consulting Balenciaga’s museum pieces. Parsons who does not have an in-house fashion museum arranged a visit to nearby university museum at FIT. Easier access to digital archives at Japanese university museums would have proven beneficial for Seika Kyoto students. Through close study of the archive pieces and use of digital educational material, students and tutors increased knowledge on Balenciaga’s construction skills. Professors developed new fashion practices, taking students out of the classroom and into the museum and university archives, inculcating them the values of Balenciaga’s innovative design. Drawing inspiration from the direct study of the archives, the students developed their own research and produced one outfit inspired in the knowledge acquired. The garments of 26 students were presented at the Cristobal Balenciaga Museum in a joint exhibition while curators, tutors and students shared knowledge amongst the international network during a round table. The project merged the dialogue between the legacy preserved at the museums and university archives, the facilitation of the professors involved in the process, and the personal work of a new generation of designers.