Fashion historian Dr Jane Malthus has been awarded a grant from Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage for her work on the Eden Hore collection.

The former clothing and textile sciences and design academic was also a patron of the Eden Hore Collection steering group, having been involved with the project since the 1980s.

The Eden Hore Collection was made up of more than 200 extravagant designer dresses from the 1970s and 1980s, now owned by the Central Otago District Council.

The ministry selected 10 projects New Zealand-wide that told a range of histories ranging from the revival of Moko Mataora (facial tattoo) in the north, to a 1795 shipwreck in Tamatea Dusky Sound in the south.

The fashion collection was started by Maniototo farmer, the late Eden Hore, and the grant supported people in telling the stories of non-fictional projects that enhanced our understanding of New Zealand’s past.  

One of the coats in the Eden Hore Collection. PHOTO: Supplied.

A total of $108,200 was awarded this year to the 10 projects that demonstrated quality and originality and would contribute to the study of our nation’s history and society.

Dr Malthus said the grant would be used for a book project, 'The Visionary World of Eden Hore.’

She was thrilled to receive the grant and would be one of the co-writers of the book - the funding would go towards helping Dr Malthus research topics including Eden Hore’s complex story, as well as the designers and fabrics included in the collection and the fundraising events he organised.

The grant would also help with documenting the collection further and obtaining archive images to include in the publication, which was due out in 2025. 

“It is a great boost to EHCO (Eden Hore Central Otago) to get this recognition, and an opportunity to tell the unique story of how a fantastic array of New Zealand designer gowns of the 1970s ended up being preserved in Naseby,” she said.

For more information about the Eden Hore Collection go to: https://www.edenhorecentralotago.com/