“Paper Afore Press” is the catalogue to the International Library of Fashion Research’s second exhibition in collaboration
with the National Museum’s department of conservation.
This exhibition is a nod to a medium, the one of paper, that long has been taken for granted.
A plea for paper to be re-evaluated and re-thought in its essence, this exhibition and catalogue aim to propose to the reader an
alternative perspective on the medium that paper is for the fashion system. A possibility of communication and distribution;
an asset and alternative in the vast realm of textile production, fabrication and consumption; a vessel for words that would instead be
forgotten and unheard; a way of connecting people.
A selection of printed objects and ephemera from the International Library of Fashion Research permanent collection is investigated through
various lab and research techniques such as x-rays, scans and microscopes, where different paper fibers, textures and delicacies will unfold.
Featuring Alia Mascia, Dr. Daphne Mohajer va Pesaran, Ilaria Trame, Lydia Kamitsis, Marco Pecorari, Molly Maltman and Vassilis Zidianakis.
softcover
28 pages
150 x 240 mm
2023
published by INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF FASHION RESEARCH
International Library of Fashion Research (ILFR) is a specialized fashion library founded in 2020 by Norwegian editor Elise By Olsen,
based in Oslo and partnered with the National Museum of Norway. It opened physically in November 2022 in the historic
Station Master’s House, offering free public access to an ever-growing collection of fashion-related printed materials—
from lookbooks and show invitations to ephemera dating back to the 1970s.
ILFR preserves ephemeral fashion print culture and brings it to life through exhibitions, talks, a Fashion Research Symposium,
public programs, and digital archives accessible globally.
Its collection has grown through donations from prominent fashion houses and publishers such as
Hermès, Comme des Garçons, M/M (Paris), and KD Presse.
Founded in Tokyo in 2010, twelvebooks is a distributor specializing in art books.
As the exclusive Japanese representative for selected international publishers, twelvebooks manages the distribution
and promotion of their publications with a vision of making art books more widely accessible.
twelvebooks is also involved in various art book initiatives, including organizing the TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR.
In November 2024, twelvebooks opened SKWAT/twelvebooks in Nishikameari, Katsushika, a space that offers public access to its storage warehouse.