Moving Threads: The Post-Custodial Archive Model Preserving Syrian Clothing Heritage

Abstract

This project uses the post-custodial model to archive a collection of nearly two hundred privately owned Syrian garments. The collection features clothing and craft techniques displaced from diaspora and war. This project aims to identify workflows and best practices for cataloging an international garment collection in the U.S. using the post-custodial method This includes focusing on critical cataloguing, an emerging approach for dress collections. The goal is to transform the collection into a museum-quality, publicly accessible archive and share its content through a book, articles, and an exhibition for education and outreach. The primary focus has been database development around international artifacts with multiple titles and work types. Since 2018, fashion historians working in museums and academia have partnered with Syrian American collection owners, engaging MLIS database specialists, Arabic language translators, Syrian culture experts, and historians to bridge knowledge gaps and enhance awareness. The custodians provide context, storage, provenance, and terminology for inclusive descriptions and photography styling. Challenges with this approach include minimal funding for private collections, limited time and team member participation resulting in slow processing, and the potential for conflicting stakeholder goals. Benefits for the Syrian community include more accurate narratives, vocabulary, and representation that promote innovation than in some institutional collections. Benefits for fashion history and library science professions include establishing best practices for clothing complexities, diversifying cultural representation, and valuing material culture