CSUN Adds Vintage Clothes to Collection

A Marine Corps uniform from World War II and a beaded lace dress with matching hat from the 1940s were among the vintage clothing donated to Cal State Northridge by a private collector in Ohio.

The clothes will be added to the university’s collection of about 300 pieces used in the fashion design and merchandising program at CSUN.

Other articles of donated clothing included a beaded jacket and several fur pieces from the turn of the century.

The program is part of the economics department and is designed for students interested in pursuing careers in the apparel industry.

Students use the vintage clothing to study design and to create exhibits for display on campus.

Nancy Owens, professor of family environmental science, said most of the school’s collection is inaccessible because it is locked in buildings undergoing repairs from last year’s earthquake.

But, Owens said, “we are now looking at possibilities for exhibits out in the community.”