Contemporary Wardrobe is the UK's leading archive of vintage street fashion, preserving the social, cultural and political histories of post-war Britain and beyond, told through the clothes young people wore on the street.
About The Collection
Contemporary Wardrobe is a working archive of over 20,000 garments documenting the emergence of teenage identity after the Second World War and the successive waves of subculture that followed, from early youth movements through mods, punk, new wave, rave culture, and contemporary street style.
Rooted in rebellion and self-expression, the garments celebrate working-class creativity, underground subcultures, and LGBTQ+ communities as vital forces in shaping modern fashion and culture. Featuring individual archives and garments connected to the figures and spaces that defined it, among them Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, SEX and Seditionaries, Michael Hochong, Leigh Bowery, Sebastian Horsley, Rachel Auburn. These are clothes that challenged authority, signalled belonging, and articulated identity. Today they serve as living references for contemporary storytelling across film, television, music, and fashion.
Established in 1978 by Roger K. Burton, Contemporary Wardrobe is a not-for-profit organisation with a commitment to preserve, promote and broaden access to the archive for research and inspiration, ensuring that these clothes are widely accessible as a valuable cultural resource.
“Contemporary Wardrobe has been a constant source of inspiration, from music videos at the start of my career in the early 80’s, to the glam rock world of Velvet Goldmine in the mid 90’s, and punks and aliens in How to Talk to Girls at Parties in 2015, Roger’s keen knowledge and appreciation of sub cultures was unmatched. I’m thrilled his legacy will be continued with the relaunch of the archive he created.”
Our History
Founded by costume designer and stylist Roger K. Burton in 1978, Contemporary Wardrobe began as a specialist hire company, supplying vintage street fashion, couture, and accessories to the film, television, and fashion industries.
Widely recognised for supplying some of the defining youth-oriented films of the era, among them Quadrophenia, Absolute Beginners, Sid & Nancy, Hackers, and Stoned. The Collection's real significance is reflected in the artists who have worn it. Over 400 bands and performers have drawn from the archive for promotional videos, album covers, live performances, and press shoots - from pop royalty and rock 'n' roll supergroups to cult icons and soul divas David Bowie, Annie Lennox, The Rolling Stones, Blondie, George Harrison, PJ Harvey, Portishead, Mogwai, Sade, The Cure and Kylie - at one time or another, Contemporary Wardrobe has dressed them all.
At the height of the music video era in the early-to-mid eighties, a new wave of style magazines; i-D, The Face, and Blitz were arriving at exactly the same moment, regularly featuring musicians wearing clothes from the archive. Everyone on the scene was plundering the past for inspiration, and with such a vast collection and specialist knowledge, Contemporary Wardrobe was the obvious choice. As one well-known stylist of the era put it, "if there was nothing happening on the streets, you could be sure to find inspiration at Contemporary Wardrobe.
Throughout its history Contemporary Wardrobe has not only been the keeper of culture, but also the instigator of many a new trend, through a programme of recycling and constant reinvention of the past. Today, fashion designers, design houses, stylists, and models visit regularly to unearth long-gone looks and rework them for a new generation.
