How to make a donation?

The Museo del Traje collections are constantly growing through new acquisitions, largely thanks to donations.

A dress, bought in a store or an antiques shop, is just a garment. A dress from our wardrobe is a fragment of life and embodies far more meanings and experiences. Which is why the Museo del Traje essentially lives off donations.

The majority of the cultural assets stored in the Museo were previously the private property of individuals who used them as clothing or accessories and, with some exceptions, had not been stored as objects of economic value. They have been preserved because their owners loved them, and today they constitute invaluable elements for the understanding and memory of cultural change.

• What to donate?

The Museo del Traje is a historical museum, and fashions change very swiftly, meaning certain gaps are inevitable in its collections.

The most significant we would mention are:

19th century gentlemen’s clothingSalto de línea Travel and sports clothing from the first half of the 20th centurySalto de línea Garments by haute couture designers such as Asunción Bastida, Carmen Mir, Pedro Rovira, etc.

But there are many lesser gaps that your garments could fill. Please get in touch with us to provide details of the garments or objects you wish to donate. The Museo technicians will be able to assess whether they are of interest to the institution.

• How to donate

An informal initial contact is always preferable, whether by phone, in person or letter (including images, in this case, please), to get to know the offer and its characteristics and exchange impressions with the Museo’s technicians about its level of relevance. You can also send your queries to the email address colecciones.mt@cultura.gob.es

The formal process always requires the donor to express their wish in writing, via a letter, for example; and, at the moment of delivering the assets, completion of an agreement confirming the transfer.

• Conditioned donations?

The Museo cannot accept conditioned donations that limit the availability or may affect the conservation of the assets ceded (such as the frequent, and understandable, wish for the garments to be always on display).

• Temporary deposits?

Similarly, the Museo does not accept temporary deposits of privately-owned assets (apart from assets belonging to other cultural centres), except in very exceptional cases. The deposit contract prevents the use of the asset deposited by the owner during the time it remains in the Museo.