Unpicking Beale & Inman, a collaborative exhibition featuring the works of MA Fashion Curation and MA Fashion Cultures: History & Culture students from London College of Fashion, in collaboration with the Westminster City Archives. The exhibition explores the grassroots of an ongoing research project into the renowned British tailoring company Beale & Inman.
Tracing the history of Beale & Inman through the individual research perspectives of each student, the work displayed is that of a work in progress. From the history of the suit and imagined caricatures, to regimental fabrics and employee interviews. The research presented explores the rich history of the New Bond Street store in all its complexities. Portraying the varying aspects of the business in differing ways, the exhibition simultaneously answers and raises questions about the historic store.
Housed within the Beale & Inman collection are a range of business ledgers from new customer books and financial ledgers to pattern samples and order books. These items form the basis of the scope of the research displayed within this exhibition. Each display has grown from an analysis of an archive item, allowing for an interesting and intersecting discussion into Beale & Inman.
From 1828 to 2007 the store stood at 132-133 New Bond Street and welcomed many well-known and respected customers from Charles Dickens to Sir Winston Churchill. Despite the many changes throughout the latter years of the company’s history, Beale & Inman remained a staple figure in British menswear history. The exhibition picks apart the threads that held the business together and explores each individual section in detail. Analysing and reimagining its history for a contemporary audience.
The above illustrations were imaginative sketches [ illustrated by me] of employees working at B&I based on the text found in a Journal by George Baker, an ex-employee who worked at Beale & Inman throughout his life.
Unpicking Beale & Inman | Monday 2 March to 23 March 2020.
First Floor, Westminster Reference Library, 35 St Martin's St, West End, London WC2H 7HP