Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 June 2016
The Union Française des Arts du Costume, founded in 1948, has been housed since 1986 in the new Musée des Arts de la Mode, and comprises collections of garments and accessories and of complementary documentation. Its Centre de Documentation, open to all, includes a library and archival collections of drawings, prints, photographs, and publicity material; a Centre de Consultation du vidéodisque facilitates access to both garments and documents while removing the need for rare and fragile materials to be handled. A videodisc on 20th century fashion has been available since 1987; a second videodisc is devoted to the 18th and 19th centuries. The thousands of images on videodisc are complemented by a database on BRS software.