Strategies for Managing a Fashion Museum

Fashion museums are key institutions for researching local fashion, contributing to local economies by promoting local tourism, and stimulating social discourse through critical and educational fashion exhibitions. However, there are currently no fashion museums in South Korea that can explain and inform Korean fashion; moreover, museums that could be defined as fashion museums have faced operational difficulties and closed. Therefore, this study aims to establish strategies for the sustainable operation of fashion museums in Korea. Based on new museology and fashion museology and considering the museum as a neoliberal institution, the operational strategies were divided into two aspects—function and management—with sub-categories of the functional aspects divided into collection and research, exhibitions, and educational programs. In our strategy, collection and research focus on traditional dress, contemporary dress, local dress, and Western dress to facilitate discussions centered on fashion, while exhibitions are designed to be educational, aiming to spark public interest in social issues through fashion. Finally, our strategy includes educational programs aimed at encouraging visitors to engage in social and cultural discussions. For the management aspect, the sub-categories are divided into strategic planning, financial management, and marketing. First, the museum is envisioned as a pivotal institution for fashion city branding, thereby establishing its cultural and economic significance and attracting visitors. Second, in terms of financial management, the museum builds mutually beneficial relationships with fashion enterprises to secure funding. Third, marketing strategies include hosting fund- raising events, connecting with other historical and cultural sites in the city, and organizing blockbuster exhibitions.