\u201cWhat is more important in a moment of extreme action and opinion, in certain cases leading to violence, than to create a library? A place of peaceful contemplation and the preservation of human knowledge, where an individual can, in their own time and pace, think and search for meaning.\u201d \u2013 Steven Mark Klein<\/p>\n
A library, conventionally understood to be a state-run institution, is a public space where access to certain knowledge is expected and upheld by governing authorities. But, what would a library become if traditional authority were taken away and reimagined? How could this archival space provide a template for new decentralised spaces within fashion? And how could this then exist beyond the library\u2019s shelves, creating new infrastructures for the future of fashion and beyond?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Cue the International Library of Fashion Research<\/a>, a library that hopes to one day house the most comprehensive archive of specialised fashion research and printed matter \u2013 magazines, publications, lookbooks, show invitations, illustrations, ephemera \u2013 all acquired from private collectors and donors. Founded by twenty-something fashion prodigy Elise By Olsen<\/a>, who began her career at the age of 13, the Library is reshaping the very meaning of what an institution is and can be. \u201cRather than a storage space for the past, this Library is an active space in the creation of the future,\u201d explains Olsen. With the help of archivist and consultant Steven Mark Klein, who provided the seed collection for the archive; Else Thorenfeldt, the organic farmer and former Margiela presse attach\u00e9 and Morteza Vaseghi, the creative director and Olsen’s decade-long collaborator and business partner, Olsen has created a much-needed space in fashion for critical discourse, research and reflection.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":105595,"id":105595,"title":"","filename":"0W9A8332.jpg","filesize":346468,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8332.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/international-library-of-fashion-research\/0w9a8332\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"0w9a8332","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":105588,"date":"2022-12-12 09:40:46","modified":"2023-01-05 10:43:37","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1281,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8332.jpg","thumbnail-width":64,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8332.jpg","medium-width":1281,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8332.jpg","medium_large-width":1281,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8332.jpg","large-width":1281,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8332-1025x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1025,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8332.jpg","2048x2048-width":1281,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8332.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":8,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8332.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1281,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}},{"ID":105594,"id":105594,"title":"0W9A8436-Edit","filename":"0W9A8436-Edit.jpg","filesize":247087,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8436-Edit.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/international-library-of-fashion-research\/0w9a8436-edit\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"0w9a8436-edit","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":105588,"date":"2022-12-12 09:40:37","modified":"2022-12-12 09:40:37","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1281,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8436-Edit.jpg","thumbnail-width":64,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8436-Edit.jpg","medium-width":1281,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8436-Edit.jpg","medium_large-width":1281,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8436-Edit.jpg","large-width":1281,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8436-Edit-1025x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1025,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8436-Edit.jpg","2048x2048-width":1281,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8436-Edit.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":8,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0W9A8436-Edit.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1281,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":"Photography by Magnus Gulliksen."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":" Up until now, the International Library of Fashion Research has primarily existed online, with the exception of the occasional symposium. At the end of this month, however, the library will open the doors to its very own physical space. Located in the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo, the Library is able to position itself as an institution while still having the freedom that operating independently permits. The result is a free, globally accessible facility that aids engagement with fashion\u2019s printed matter in an intellectual, critical context. \u201cI think a lot of spaces in fashion are perceived as hierarchical. I wanted to make an educational institution where people of any age, any level, any interest can come; somewhere that welcomes researchers regardless of whether they are amateurs or serious academics, industry professionals or students.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the intimately sized Library, there is a single table where people from all different corners of the industry can sit. \u201cThis one table is where the potential lies and where the contents of the Library can be manifested physically through exchanges,\u201d says Olsen. \u201cAnd there\u2019s nothing new about this idea, either: tables in libraries have always existed and been used as co-working spaces.\u201d She\u2019s right, this social concept isn\u2019t new, it has existed for centuries. Yet somehow, in the context of fashion\u2019s current climate, it seems revolutionary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With its location in Oslo, a city considered on the periphery of the fashion industry, the International Library of Fashion Research is removed from the self-absorbed fashion capitals. This decentralisation was, at first, inadvertent, but Olsen soon realised it was a chance for a radical departure from the established structures of fashion. \u201cOslo has a sort of remoteness and solitude to it. It\u2019s similar to Antwerp in that there\u2019s an ecosystem built for new modes of thinking and creating outside of these conventional fashion capitals,\u201d says Olsen. \u201cI have this thought that maybe Oslo shouldn\u2019t have fashion designers in its centre \u2013maybe there are other elements to work with instead. And people may think that\u2019s a radical idea, but I\u2019m interested in how Oslo can become a meeting point for critical and intellectual fashion discourse. In the solitude we have, there\u2019s an opportunity to build research and educational infrastructures where people can step outside of the accelerated fashion industry and take time for the study of fashion.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":105593,"id":105593,"title":"1_0W9A6993","filename":"1_0W9A6993.jpg","filesize":263872,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/1_0W9A6993.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/international-library-of-fashion-research\/1_0w9a6993\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"1_0w9a6993","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":105588,"date":"2022-12-12 09:40:28","modified":"2022-12-12 09:40:28","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1281,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/1_0W9A6993.jpg","thumbnail-width":64,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/1_0W9A6993.jpg","medium-width":1281,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/1_0W9A6993.jpg","medium_large-width":1281,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/1_0W9A6993.jpg","large-width":1281,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/1_0W9A6993-1025x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1025,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/1_0W9A6993.jpg","2048x2048-width":1281,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/1_0W9A6993.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":8,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/1_0W9A6993.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1281,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}},{"ID":105592,"id":105592,"title":"13","filename":"13.jpg","filesize":256730,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/13.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/international-library-of-fashion-research\/13-14\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"13-14","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":105588,"date":"2022-12-12 09:40:00","modified":"2022-12-12 09:40:00","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1281,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/13.jpg","thumbnail-width":64,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/13.jpg","medium-width":1281,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/13.jpg","medium_large-width":1281,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/13.jpg","large-width":1281,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/13-1025x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1025,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/13.jpg","2048x2048-width":1281,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/13.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":8,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/13.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1281,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":"Photography by Magnus Gulliksen."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":" On this fertile ground, the Library\u2019s collection has the potential to grow beyond its own shelves and materiality; to produce new conversations, relationships and meanings. Despite being physically unchanging, these archival materials are alive. As the zeitgeist moves, these artefacts are given a new context and continue to inspire viewers in ever-changing ways. \u201cThroughout the projects I\u2019ve done, there\u2019s a sense of nostalgia in the formats I\u2019ve chosen to present certain activations, whether it be printed magazines, a CD or, in this case, a library. But I think everything has had a sort of proactive vision for the future. Maybe it comes from being young, from a wish to change the system for the better. I think this has always been the case for my work.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n At the time of our conversation, the Library is preparing for its official opening on 01 December 2022. Some shelves are arranged and ordered systematically while others remain bare. \u201cEmpty shelves for future fashion history,\u201d is what Olsen says. Eventually they will fill up as this ever-growing collection provides sanctuary for the collective knowledge, memory and conversation of a new infrastructure for fashion. \u201cI don\u2019t believe that the future is a singular place,\u201d says Olsen. \u201cInstead, I believe there are many futures. This is the same with the Library, too. It will remain unfinished. It\u2019s never going to be complete. It\u2019s an infinite project that will live far beyond me, you and the people within it.\u201d<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":105589,"id":105589,"title":"","filename":"18.jpg","filesize":418178,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/18.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/international-library-of-fashion-research\/18-9\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"18-9","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":105588,"date":"2022-12-12 09:39:29","modified":"2023-01-03 19:40:42","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1281,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/18.jpg","thumbnail-width":64,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/18.jpg","medium-width":1281,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/18.jpg","medium_large-width":1281,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/18.jpg","large-width":1281,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/18-1025x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1025,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/18.jpg","2048x2048-width":1281,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/18.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":8,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/18.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1281,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":"Photography by Magnus Gulliksen."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"