The Global Dress & Textile Study Center is a hands-on resource where Pratt students, faculty, and researchers can study garments and textiles up close. Housed in the Fashion Design Department at Steuben Hall, the Center brings together the archive of designer Mary McFadden, a global collection of dress and textiles, work by other designers, and the Textile Research Lab, supported by a library of books on global dress and textiles.
This collection is not kept behind glass. It is an active and alive resource. Faculty, students, and researchers learn by looking, touching, and in some cases wearing, exploring construction, materials, surface materiality, and cultural context in ways that images and books cannot offer. Beyond technique and aesthetics, the collection opens conversations about the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of what we wear
Mary McFadden
Mary McFadden (1938-2024) was a pioneering American designer known for her architectural silhouettes, bold color, and globally inspired designs. Across a career spanning the 1970s to the early 2000s, she also worked as a writer and editor for VOGUE South Africa and Paris, and she became the first woman to serve as President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. In 2001, Pratt honored her with the Pratt Legend Award.
Often described as a “design archeologist,” McFadden drew on historic textiles, jewelry, and art from cultures including African, Pre-Columbian, Near Eastern, Classical Greek, Javanese, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean traditions. Her signature Marii pleating gave her garments a fluid, sculptural movement, and her prints drew on the art of diverse and often little-known cultures. She was also a passionate collector of clothing and textiles from around the world, which she wore in her everyday life.
A portion of her archive came to Pratt as a generous gift from the McFadden family, to support research, teaching, preservation, and the promotion of her legacy.
The Collections
Every object in the Center carries a hang tag with a QR code linking to its record on JSTOR, so faculty and students can explore the history and details behind each piece as they study it. Textile Research Lab samples, displayed in jars and as swatches, each carry a QR code linking to the Textile Research Lab website where students, faculty, and researchers can follow the process behind each sample.
- Mary McFadden Archive – garments and materials from McFadden’s own design practice.
- Global Dress & Textiles Collection – dress and textiles from around the world, including pieces McFadden collected and wore, alongside work by other designers.
- Embodied Collection – designated garments that visitors are invited to try on, to experience weight, drape, movement, and construction on the body.
- Textile Research Lab – Pratt’s teaching collection of samples and study materials, used by students to explore materials, structure, and technique.
- Global Dress & Textiles Library – a supporting library of books on dress, textiles, and craft traditions from around the world.
- Construction Library (coming soon) – physical examples of garment construction and finishing, along with archival patterns reconstructed as digital garments in CLO 3D.
Ways to Visit
Faculty, students, and researchers can book sessions focused on a range of learning goals:
- Study Collection Overview
- McFadden Archive Study
- Global Dress Observation
- Introduction to Construction
- Fiber Analysis & Research Study
- Fabric Knowledge
- Materiality Exploration
- Object History
- Sustainability, Ethics & Global Impact Inquiry
Faculty are welcome to bring classes for sessions tailored to their course content.
Visiting the Center
Drop in during open hours or book an appointment during Center hours. A member of the Study Center team is always here to help you find objects, answer questions, and support your research.
Center hours (by appointment):
Monday and Tuesday: 1:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Wednesday: 10:30 am – 6:30 pm
Thursday: 10:30 am – 4:30 pm
Drop-in open hours:
Thursday: 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Location: Room 201, Steuben Hall, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn
Appointments and class visits: booking link / contact
Please review our Rules of Use before your visit. If you plan to try on pieces from the Embodied Collection, wear or bring a fitted base layer.