Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising

10/23/2026

Have you ever wondered how a Japanese kimono is designed and worn?

Visiting scholar Laura Wong is on campus this weekend offering two opportunities to engage with Japanese textiles and fashion. Tonight's presentation will explore different Japanese textile design techniques, and tomorrow Laura will offer a glimpse into the multi-layered process of wearing kimono with a live dressing demonstration. Join us; these events are free and open to all!

Japanese Textile Techniques
Friday, October 23
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Kimono Dressing Demonstration
Saturday, October 24
10 - 11 a.m.

Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising
216 E. Lake Street

This event is held in conjunction with our current exhibition “Kimono Matters: Materiality and Making,” on view now through December 19, 2026. Enjoy these behind the scenes photos of Masako “Mako” Beecken, CSU Japanese language instructor emerita, dressing kimono ensembles for the exhibition!

10/15/2026

On view now in the Gustafson Gallery (Rm. 318) in the Gifford Building!

10/13/2026

Meet Laura Wong: vintage textile purveyor at BORO BORO, Japanese textile scholar, and licensed kimono stylist and sensei.

What started as an interest in Japanese textiles and the role of the kimono in contemporary society turned into a research fellowship in Japan, 3-years of coursework in kimono styling, and the founding of her Los-Angeles based textile shop, BORO BORO.

Join us in welcoming Laura to campus for a captivating presentation on weaving and dyeing techniques from Japan as well as a live kimono dressing demonstration!

🗾 Japanese Textile Techniques
📅Friday, October 23
⌚5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
📍Avenir Museum, Rm. 157

👘 Kimono Dressing Demonstration
📅Saturday, October 24
⌚10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
📍Avenir Museum, Rm. 157

These events are free and open to all, with no RSVP required. There is free parking available near the museum.

These events are offered in conjunction with the Avenir Museum's current exhibition "Kimono Matters: Materiality and Making." Visit our website to plan your visit today!

10/10/2026

Fashion, history, and culture are only a step away. 👠

Exploring the Avenir Museum is the perfect way to get your steps in (or practice your runway strut!) You never know what inspiration you will find waiting just around the corner. ✨

On view now at the Avenir Museum:
💭 imagiNation: Fashioning A Nation, 1776-2026
👘 Kimono Matters: Materiality and Making
🧵Colorado Community Threads: Reflections on Place and People

The Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising is Colorado State University’s collection of fashion and textiles. Open Tues.-Fri. from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Plan your visit today at the link in our bio!

09/24/2026

Join us on Saturday for this enticing program from Chloe Chapin PhD!

❓Was George Washington America’s first fashion designer❓

🧵Washington designed his own military uniform for the American Revolution, and within fifteen years, men across America, England, and France were copying his look. In this talk, fashion historian Chloe Chapin will unpack the fascinating history of the iconic “buff and blue,” and how it had such a lasting impact on American style.

👔 In her new book, “Suitable: The Sartorial Revolution and the Fashioning of Modern Men,” Chapin tells the surprising story of how America’s Founding Fathers influenced not only politics and government, but also the next 250 years of men's fashion. Drawing on a wealth of visual, material, and archival sources, Chapin traces the development of suits from the American Revolution through the Civil War, exploring their impact on American identity and showing how suits became a symbol that transformed ideas of masculinity.

📖 The presentation will be followed by an author Q&A and two opportunities to win a copy of “Suitable.” Order a copy from your favorite book retailer today to have it signed by the author!

How George Washington Fashioned A Nation
📅September 26
⏰3 - 4:30p.m.
📍Avenir Museum, 216 E. Lake Street, Fort Collins, Colorado

This event is free and open to all!
_______

Left: Chloe Chapin, “Self Portrait after Hodler,” 2011.
Center: John Trumbull, “General George Washington at Trenton,” 1792, Yale University Art Gallery.
Right: Cover of “Suitable: The Sartorial Revolution and the Fashioning of Modern Men, ” 2026.

09/19/2026

Calendar Request from the Avenir Museum 📆

The Avenir Museum’s fall 2026 programs and events are here!
Inspired by our current exhibitions, this semester’s offering invites you to immerse yourself in the world of American fashion and global textile techniques.

📝 Pencil us in and enjoy fascinating presentations on American fashion history from visiting scholar Chloe Chapin, kimono textile techniques and dressing demos from visiting scholar Laura Wong, and insightful gallery tours with faculty curators Paula Alaszkiewicz, Leisl Carr Childers, and Vidhita Raina.

Find more information on upcoming events on our website. 🔗 https://col.st/X1mDE

On view now through December 19, 2026:
💭 imagiNation: Fashioning A Nation, 1776-2026
👘 Kimono Matters: Materiality and Making
🏔️ Colorado Community Threads: Reflections on Place and People
_______

Slide 1: John Trumbull, “General George Washington at Trenton,” 1792, Yale University Art Gallery.
Slide 3: Photo by Anji Salz.
Slide 4: Photo by Stasia Matsumoto.

09/12/2026

❓Was George Washington America’s first fashion designer❓

🧵Washington designed his own military uniform for the American Revolution, and within fifteen years, men across America, England, and France were copying his look. In this talk, fashion historian Chloe Chapin will unpack the fascinating history of the iconic “buff and blue,” and how it had such a lasting impact on American style.

👔 In her new book, “Suitable: The Sartorial Revolution and the Fashioning of Modern Men,” Chapin tells the surprising story of how America’s Founding Fathers influenced not only politics and government, but also the next 250 years of men's fashion. Drawing on a wealth of visual, material, and archival sources, Chapin traces the development of suits from the American Revolution through the Civil War, exploring their impact on American identity and showing how suits became a symbol that transformed ideas of masculinity.

📖 The presentation will be followed by an author Q&A and two opportunities to win a copy of “Suitable.” Order a copy from your favorite book retailer today to have it signed by the author!

How George Washington Fashioned A Nation
📅September 26
⏰3 - 4:30p.m.
📍Avenir Museum, 216 E. Lake Street, Fort Collins, Colorado

This event is free and open to all!
_______

Left: Chloe Chapin, “Self Portrait after Hodler,” 2011.
Center: John Trumbull, “General George Washington at Trenton,” 1792, Yale University Art Gallery.
Right: Cover of “Suitable: The Sartorial Revolution and the Fashioning of Modern Men, ” 2026.

08/26/2026

Kimono Matters: Materiality and Making is now on view! 👘🚨

A sumptuous polychrome weave, the exacting measure of an skilled artisan, a meandering watercolor landscape.

The kimono is an iconic sartorial symbol of Japan worn across genders and ages. Highlighting six textile techniques, Kimono Matters: Materiality and Making draws new accessions together with the Maxson Kimono Collection.

Last exhibited 32 years ago, this exhibition revisits the Maxson collection with a new perspective, asserting the importance of kimono study today, and underscoring how the matter and materiality of kimonos have shaped their place in fashion history.

Kimono Matters: Materiality and Making

August 18 - December 19, 2026

Free and open to all.

On view now at the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising.

07/17/2026

A bodice from 1859. A Chinese cloud collar. An ankle rattle from Eswatini.

These seemingly disparate objects are all on view in our current exhibition “The Fashion ‘Bug’: Insects In and On Our Cloth.” The exhibition is nearing the end of its run, but you still have 15 days to view this collaborative project between the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising and the C.P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity!

Thanks to our friends at Barnfly Productions for this beautiful video that offers a small glimpse into this exhibition. Plan your visit to the Avenir Museum today!

C.P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity
John Barnhardt