Google is expanding upon it “Art Project,” an initiative launched in 2011 to link users with art collections around the world, online. The expansion will include the addition of “We Wear Culture,” a new fashion-centric endeavor, which makes use of Google’s technological prowess “to connect fashion lovers to collections and exhibits at museums and other institutions, giving them the ability to not only view a garment, but to zoom in on the hem of a dress, examine a sleeve or a bit of embroidery on a gown up close, wander around an atelier, or sit down with Metropolitan Museum of Art costume restorers,” according to the Associated Press.
In collaboration with almost 200 different institution on a global scale, including the New York-based Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Japan’s Kyoto Costume Institute, the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo in Florence, Italy, and the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, Google’s new project will make over 30,000 garments available for viewing online.
In addition to the production of imagery of the garments, the newest arm of Google’s Art Project includes curated exhibits, such as a curated photo exhibit on Tokyo Street Style, or an exploration of women’s gowns in the 18th century. As noted by the AP, search capabilities enable viewers to “search by designer, or by their muse — examining, say, Marilyn Monroe’s love of Ferragamo stiletto heels.”
Also in the mix: Several virtual reality films, as well as 360-degree video displays, including one of the Met’s conservation studio.