Our Mission


The History of Dress. The Future of Fashion.

Costume Society of America

Our Mission

The Costume Society of America fosters an understanding of appearance and dress practices of people across the globe through research, education, preservation, and design. Our network of members studies the past, examines the present, and anticipates the future of clothing and fashion.

About


 The Costume Society of America (CSA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded on March 23, 1973, and incorporated in the state of New York on September 12, 1973.


CSA serves it members, and promotes its goals with national symposia and publications including the journal Dress and its monthly electronic newsletter CSA e-News.


The organization began forming regional groups in 1978. There are six regional groups in the United States and Canada, and one international group. Individual regions hold annual meetings, sponsor programs and publish newsletters.


Overview

     CSA serves individuals, students, institutions, and libraries. Our primary membership consists of individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds, both generalist and specialist, who share a passion for the history and serious study of costume. We seek members who are involved in the study, education, collection, and preservation, presentation, and interpretation of dress and appearance in our past, present, and future. Our current strategic goals include:

Increase diversity in subject matter and research, including hidden, overlooked, and marginalized topics

Be the go-to place for the field and the lay community for questions related to clothing history

Increase diversity in our membership and attract younger scholars, students, and early career professionals

Establish partnerships to reach out to a global audience of people from museums, archives, libraries, theaters, academia, fashion industry, private collections, and re-enactment organizations

Statement on the Preservation of Costume

CSA acknowledges that clothing is designed and created to be worn. However, with age or associations, clothing takes on particular values and meanings and deserves special care and consideration. The wearing of articles of attire inevitably exposes them to dangers of damage and deterioration; these dangers increase with the age and/ or fragility of such articles. Therefore, CSA encourages persons and organizations charged with the preservation of costume to prohibit the wearing or modeling of articles intended for preservation. Further, CSA discourages any action which alters the original state of such articles. Since any information related to the provenance, condition, and treatment of costume enhances the understanding, meaning, and value of an article of adornment, CSA strongly urges that all such information should be collected and made available when that article is transferred to another party.

By-laws & Constitution

CSA's Charter and Operating Guidelines

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