Amber Butchart is a curator, writer and broadcaster who specialises in the cultural and political history of textiles, dress and design.
She has curated exhibitions for the Fashion & Textile Museum and the British Textile Biennial, where she is an Associate Curator and host of the Cloth Cultures podcast. Her latest exhibition, The Fabric of Democracy: Propaganda Textiles from the French Revolution to Brexit, is open now.
Amber researches and presents documentaries for TV and radio, including A Stitch in Time, a six-part series for BBC Four that fused biography, art and the history of fashion to explore the lives of historical figures through the clothes they wore. It was described as "snappy and engaging" by The Guardian, "hugely enjoyable" by The Telegraph and "mesmerising" by the Radio Times. Amber is also the history consultant and regular on-screen historian for BBC One's Great British Sewing Bee.
She is the author of five books on the history and culture of clothing, and has written for Fondazione Prada, World of Interiors, The Guardian, Times Literary Supplement, Financial Times and BBC Culture. She is a regular contributor to Frieze and ArtReview, writing on the politics of dress and design.
She is a PhD researcher at the Centre for Curatorial Studies (University of Essex), and teaches cultural and historical studies at London College of Fashion. She is a regular public lecturer at institutions throughout the UK, Europe, China and America.
Amber is Lead Consultant in Forensic Garment Analysis with Alecto Forensics, working on cases that require examination and investigation of clothing and textiles. You can find her on the expert database of the National Crime Agency.
Amber is currently developing an exhibition for the Design Museum in London. She is a mentor for charities Arts Emergency and Kent Refugee Action Network, and lives in Margate, overlooking the sea.
Picture by Jo Bridges
“Fashion historian Amber Butchart is part of a new generation of young, accessible historians…. They’re just as likely to tweet as tutor and are making their ideas relevant to a new and wider audience.” - The Irish Times
"Amber Butchart is a woman confident enough in her own intelligence to not find it compromised by her love of a gingham romper suit, velour turban and multicoloured nails." - The i Paper
"Extraordinarily well turned-out" - The Guardian