The museum has two exhibitions : a permanent exhibition on lace and a temporary exhibition on fashion.
The permanent collection :
The Brussels Fashion & Lace Museum has 20,000 items of lace, clothing and accessories dating from the 16th century to the present day. Its collections are displayed on a rotating basis through annual exhibitions.
The museum's collections are made up of private donations and purchases.
Strict standards govern the conservation of textiles. These aim to regulate the heat, light and humidity levels in the rooms where they are displayed. The collections cannot therefore be displayed permanently.
The Fashion & Lace Museum is the only museum in Belgium to exhibit Brussels lace. This fabric made the city famous until the 19th century.
In 1977, the city dedicated a museum to it to present it in its context : the Costume and Lace Museum. Since then, the collections have continued to grow. They offer an overview of Western European fashion from the 18th century to the present day.
In October 2017, to mark its 40th anniversary, the Costume and Lace Museum became the Fashion & Lace Museum, a new name to reinforce the dialogue between fashion and history.
The temporary exhibition :
The museum showcases various works and textiles on the theme of fashion.
At the end of an exhibition, the museum closes its doors to the public in order to dismantle the exhibition and set up the next one. It is therefore important to check the exhibition dates so that you can plan your visit in advance.
