The Henry Ford’s New Exhibition Fabric of America: Our Fashions, Textiles, and Technologies

(Dearborn, Mich. — March 31, 2026) —  Drawing exclusively from The Henry Ford's collections, Fabric of America: Our Fashions, Textiles, and Technologies explores the deep connections between textiles and our shared history. Presented as part of The Henry Ford's America: 250 Years in the Making commemoration, the exhibition examines how fabric has shaped American identity through five enduring values: liberty, practicality, inventiveness, abundance and individualism.

Fabric of America will open in the Gallery by General Motors in Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation June 7 through September 13, 2026.

Featuring more than 500 artifacts from The Henry Ford's permanent textile collection, Fabric of America offers a rare opportunity to experience the breadth of American textile and fashion history. From practical household items, revolutionary machinery that changed the textile industry to iconic fashion statements, the exhibition reveals how fabric reflects cultural shifts, personal expression and technological innovation across generations.

In 26 stories organized into five thematic sections, the exhibition highlights how textiles are a lens through which to understand the history of America — and the core values that Americans hold dear:

• Liberty
  Exploring themes of justice, freedom, equality and empowerment, this section features household items carried by the Adler family as they fled Nazi Germany. Objects such as tablecloths, doilies and decorative shelf liners tell a powerful story of refuge and reinvention, continuing through Ruth Adler Schnee's entrepreneurial career in textile and design.
• Practicality
  Examples of feed and food sacks repurposed into dresses, aprons and bedding demonstrate American resourcefulness and creativity. Durable workwear and everyday textiles further illustrate how practicality has shaped both necessity and style.
• Inventiveness
  Garments by designers including Bonnie Cashin, Halston and Ralph Lauren showcase the creativity and ambition that define American fashion. These pieces appear alongside innovations in textile production, demonstrating how new technologies continually transform what Americans wear.
• Abundance
  Power looms, factory-made garments and fabric samples illustrate how mechanized production revolutionized affordability and access. Contemporary fast-fashion garments extend the story into the present, prompting reflection on abundance and its environmental impact.
• Individualism Bold silhouettes such as the zoot suit — embraced by Black and Mexican American communities — demonstrate how clothing communicates identity, pride and cultural expression.

Together, these stories present a retrospective of how clothing and textiles have conveyed identity, ambition and possibility across American history. Machinery, raw materials and tools of textile production round out the narrative, revealing the full lifecycle of fabric and the forces that shape it.

This exhibition is part of The Henry Ford's broader America: 250 Years in the Making initiative, which includes new exhibitions, programs and experiences throughout 2026 exploring the ideas, innovations and movements that have shaped the American story.

About The Henry Ford
Located in Dearborn, Michigan, The Henry Ford, a globally recognized destination, fosters inspiration and learning from hands-on encounters with artifacts that represent the most comprehensive collection anywhere focusing on innovation, ingenuity and resourcefulness in America. Its unique venues include Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village, Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Benson Ford Research Center and Henry Ford Academy, a public charter high school. Together with its online presence at thf.org and Invention Convention Worldwide, the growing affiliation of organizations fostering innovation, invention and entrepreneurship in K-12 students, The Henry Ford is a force for inspiring every individual to innovate, create and invent. For more information, visit thehenryford.org.