CC41 Exhibition

Article by Kamila Kocialkowska | 22 Aug 2011

Fashion has always been intertwined with economics. Whilst usually associated with the essence of high-end luxury, this autumn, Provost Skene's House in Aberdeen is launching an exhibition which explores clothing right at the other end of the spectrum; fashion in the age of austerity.

The period of the Second World War may be an era which is no stranger to museum retrospectives, however, curator Victoria Ward and her team have managed to find a refreshing new approach to this topic by using fashion to reveal sociological perspectives on this time in history.

Exactly seventy years ago, the government implemented a clothes rationing scheme to deal with the shortage of raw materials available to the country during the war. The climate of consumption had to adapt to cope with these limited means, and so paved the way for labels such as CC41 Utility Clothing. This brand embraced a design philosophy precisely suited to the needs of a country bent on practising restraint and thriftiness at all costs. All of the clothes exhibited in this show adhere to the fundamental principles of creating quality clothing with minimum wastage. The appealingly refined garments meant neat and functional tailoring with a restriction imposed on design, fabric quality and trimmings. No superflous decorations were allowed, no false pockets, or excess buttons. This was the demure, straight laced, minimal and eminently practical outerwear of the war-torn 40s.

This is a fascinating notion, particularly considering the stark light this exhibition sheds on our current consumer culture with our excessively high speed high street. The CC41 Utility Fashion exhibition, showing clothes that were built to last and epitomising a culture of make-do-and-mend, it is in many ways the antithesis of our current clothing habits. Considering the regular critcism of our current mass-market strategies which make it possible to virtually renew your wardrobe with every new season, the concept of a range of clothes that were meant to last years, were practical and would create minimum waste when being made is a surprisngly modern, relevant and ethically friendly concept.

Mon - Sat 10am-5pm. Admission is free.