Physical archive · Bologna · Since 1982

100,000+ garments
that made
fashion history.

Not a mood board. The real pieces — workwear, military, Americana, knitwear, aloha shirts — collected over 40 years and kept in our Bologna archive, ready to be touched, studied and rented.

Book a visit to the archive Explore the collections
Rows of historic garments in the WP Archivio warehouse in Bologna
The archive · Bologna
Accessories wall and leather armchairs in the WP Archivio space
Accessories & reading corner
Outdoor and workwear racks with dressed mannequins
Workwear & outdoor
1982 40+ years of research
100,000+ Physical items
500 Historic brands
100+ Years of clothing history, from WWI to today

01 — Why a physical archive

Images show you what a garment looked like. Only the garment shows you how it was made.

Weight of the canvas, the run of a felled seam, the back of a label, a repair made in 1944. WP Archivio is where designers, brands and fashion schools come to read clothes up close — and to take that knowledge back to their studio.

The WP Archivio showroom with garments on display
Showroom
Vintage catalogues from the paper archive
Paper archive
Main aisle of the archive with mannequins and display shelving
Warehouse

02 — A long way to the archive

Hunting styles
and brands worldwide

From American trade fairs like Magic to the Garage market on 25th Street in New York and the Pasadena Flea Market: endless research trips, interlaced with the acquisition of historic company archives.

  1. 1982 The archive is born Created together with W.P. Lavori in Corso, starting from typically American products.
  2. 1985 First W.P. concept store Modelled on US department stores — the collection grows with housewares, books and accessories.
  3. 2000s Spiewak archive Paper and garment archive of the US-made brand, from WWI to the 1990s.
  4. 2011 Baracuta archive The historic archive joins the collection with more than 500 items.
  5. Then Avoncelli A library of knitting stitches and garments.
  6. Today 100,000+ garments Kept in our Bologna warehouse and open by appointment.

03 — Inside the archive

The very best
of historic brands

A selection of the brand archives and themes you can explore in person. Ask us for a dedicated pull before your visit.

Man wearing a deck jacket in New York, 1950s
Brand archive · WWI–1990s Spiewak US-made outerwear: garments and paper archive.
Vintage Baracuta advertisement, “Britain’s Best Rainwear”
Brand archive · 500+ items Baracuta The historic archive, part of WP since 2011.
Detail of hand knitting, 1939 – photo Willem van de Poll, Nationaal Archief
Knitwear library Avoncelli Knitting stitches and garments.
Reyn Spooner Hawaiiana shirt
Theme · Aloha spirit Reyn Spooner Hawaiiana Aloha shirts, prints and constructions.
Men’s union suits page from the 1902 Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalogue
Americana Sears, Roebuck and Co. The American department-store wardrobe.
Claire McCardell day dress in blue and white striped cotton, early 1950s – RISD Museum
Designer Claire McCardell Perfectly chic American sportswear.
U.S. Alamo Scout in the M1942 camouflage jungle suit, New Guinea, 1944 – U.S. Army Signal Corps
Theme · Military Camouflage Inspiration and evolution of a pattern.
Red and black buffalo-check wool workwear from the archive
Theme · Outdoor & denim Workwear & Denim Filson, denim and American work clothing.

Image credits: Avoncelli – Willem van de Poll, Nationaal Archief, 1939 (CC0) · Sears – Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalogue, 1902 (public domain) · McCardell – RISD Museum (CC0) · Camouflage – U.S. Army Signal Corps, 1944 (public domain). Via Wikimedia Commons.

04 — Who it is for

Built for people
who read clothes

A

Fashion brands & design teams

Research trips without the plane ticket. Pull references for a season, handle them in Bologna, rent the pieces for your studio and work with our consultants.

  • — Curated pulls by theme or brief
  • — Garment rental for the design phase
  • — Consulting sessions with the archive team
B

Fashion academies & schools

A living textbook of construction, fabrics and silhouettes. Bring a class to the archive for hands-on study of the garments that shaped menswear and sportswear.

  • — Guided group visits
  • — Thematic handling sessions
  • — Tailored programmes for schools
C

Experts, curators & stylists

Date a label, verify a detail, find the piece for an exhibition, an editorial or a book. Our archive is catalogued and open by appointment.

  • — Private appointments
  • — Research on specific brands and eras
  • — Pieces for exhibitions and shoots

From screen to hand in four steps

  1. 01 Send your brief Tell us the theme, era or brands you are researching.
  2. 02 We prepare your pull Our team selects the garments that match your research.
  3. 03 Visit Bologna Your pull is waiting. Touch, measure, photograph.
  4. 04 Rent & develop Take the pieces to your studio for the design phase.

05 — Visit the archive

Come and
touch history.

Tell us who you are and what you are researching. We will prepare a pull of garments before you arrive.

Address Via dell’Arcoveggio 59/5, Bologna, Italy Opening By appointment · Monday to Friday, 09:00–18:00