Fashion Innovations: 1900 - Now

Online course

+44 (0)20 7942 2000
This history of fashion course will investigate some key themes that have defined fashion from c1900 and that continue to affect it today, from couture to high-street, and from historic innovations in production to contemporary digital culture. It will examine changes in the cut, construction and decoration of clothing and the development of new fashion materials and forms of embellishment. 

Learn from our world-class experts wherever you are, whenever suits you: watch lectures live or view the recording later in your own time. You can experience the full breadth and depth of the V&A's collections with more than 10 hours of study over 5 weeks. Learn at your own pace: lecture recordings and study materials, lecture notes, copies of the presentations, and additional study materials are available in our secure Microsoft Teams environment for 5 weeks after the course ends, so you'll never miss a thing. And finally, join the conversation: share your perspective with your fellow students, and support each other in your further enquiries outside of class time. 
course photo
Portrait of V&A Academy Course Leader Clare Rose

V&A Academy Course Leader
Clare Rose

Clare Rose is a dress historian who investigates the relationship between garments, the documents used to sell them, and images of fashionable people. Trained as a museum curator, she has taught at a number of British universities; she has researched and published the collections of the V&A, and her latest book is ‘Art Nouveau Fashion 1890-1914’.

Totally fantastic course - really well structured and presented and excellent subject matter and presenters. Previous V&A Academy Online Course Attendee

Course overview

This history of fashion course will investigate some key themes that have defined fashion from c1900 and that continue to affect it today, from couture to high-street, and from historic innovations in production to contemporary digital culture. It will examine changes in the cut, construction and decoration of clothing and the development of new fashion materials and forms of embellishment. It will look at the marketing of all kinds of fashion, from exclusive to mass-produced, to virtual. The interaction between the body and fashion, and the gendering of clothes, will be another theme -   linked to the ways in which fashion is shaped by politics. The final session will consider the knotty issue of the relationship between fashion and art and look forwards to the future of fashion in a virtual world.  

Lectures will be thematic rather than chronological but will include historic and contemporary case studies. They will be illustrated with masterpieces from the V&A and other collections, and with unpublished archival documents.  
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Membership Priority Booking will open at 10.00 BST on Wednesday 25 June. General Booking will open at 10.00 BST on Monday 7 July 2025.

 
Our courses are built using the latest Microsoft software. Tune in to expert lectures live or catch up on demand. Join discussions and continue your learning with downloadable handouts and presentations. Find out more >>

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Online course: Fashion Innovations: 1900 - Now

30 October 2025 - 27 November 2025

£125.00

Need help enrolling? Talk to the admissions team:

+44 (0)20 7942 2000

Open 10.00 - 13.00, Monday to Sunday (closed 24-26 December)

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