Lilian Hyder, secretary and editor working in fashion industry: papers

Bound minute books of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers from its incorporation in January 1942 until September 1959; Press cuttings relating to the Society, its members and Hyder's own work (1941 - 1952); Copies of the entire series of Fashion Calendars edited by Hyder (1954 - 1971); Black and white photographs documenting numerous fashion shows and in particular several document private showings arranged for Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family. Some photographs are dated and include detailed typed descriptions on the back, whilst others have no date or description; The archive also includes personal items, including greetings cards and gifts of books received from Hardy Amies.

Lilian Hyder was the organising secretary to the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers, a grouping of the major British fashion designers in the 1940s and 1950s. The Society was formed on 6 January 1942 with the aim of promoting British fashion abroad and positioning London as a leading international centre of the fashion industry. In part, this archive considers the needs of Britain during wartime and afterwards as rationing continued into the 1950s, as well as showing the development and interaction between the leading designers of the period.

Members of the Society included Norman Hartnell, Mr Michael (of Lachasse), Victor Stiebel, Peter Russell, Hardy Amies, Digby Morton, Mattli, Michael Sherard, John Cavanagh, Molyneux and Bianca Mosca.

Hyder also edited and distributed a monthly fashion calender, between 1954 and 1971. These listed events related to the fashion industry including trade fairs and shows, primarily in London but also throughout Europe and globally.

This archive has been arranged into the following series:

• AAD/2011/14/1 - Minute Books of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers
• AAD/2011/14/2 - Newspaper cuttings and magazine articles
• AAD/2011/14/3 - Events organised by the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers or its members
• AAD/2011/14/4 - Fashion Calendars

This archive collection is available for consultation in the V&A Study Rooms by appointment only. Full details of access arrangements may be found here: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/archives/.

Additionally access to some of these files may be restricted. These are identified at file level.

Transferred from V&A Fashion & Textiles department, 2011.

For conservation reasons the photocopying of archival material is not permitted. Archives may be photographed for study purposes only, at the discretion of the archivist.

Given to V&A Fashion and Textile deparment by Cyril Appleton and Andrew Marriver, executors of Lilian Hyder's estate.