The Harris’s appeal to track down a rare piece of Preston fashion history has paid off, with the museum announcing that the missing Horrockses map-print housecoat has been found.

The garment, one of only two known surviving examples from Horrockses Fashions’ very first collection, has now been carefully wrapped in acid-free tissue paper and collected by The Harris from Edinburgh, ready to go on display as part of the museum’s major exhibition celebrating the label, opening this weekend, 80 years after it first appeared on the catwalk.

The housecoat, made in a distinctive print featuring a map of the British Isles, was one of the pieces shown at Horrockses’ debut fashion show on 3rd April 1946. Following a national appeal launched by The Harris, the garment’s owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, came forward after seeing coverage of the search in Smithsonian Magazine.

The owner, a fashion historian and PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh with two decades of experience in vintage fashion, purchased the piece from a vintage dealer on Instagram in 2021, drawn to its 1940s novelty print and map theme.

They said: “I purchased the housecoat from a vintage dealer on Instagram in 2021. We were in pandemic lockdown and probably like many others, I did a fair amount of scrolling. I have always been drawn to 1940s novelty prints and particularly liked the map theme. It seemed like it might have an interesting history. Being from outside the UK, I was also interested in learning about and collecting more pieces from the UK.

“In terms of my selection process in collecting, it helps I think that I have two decades of experience in vintage fashion and fashion history. I worked for a number of years for Didier Ludot in Paris and I have a degree in fashion design and construction, so I understand how these garments are made and know something about the history of novelty prints. I am also an art historian just completing a University of Edinburgh PhD in fashion history, largely focused on the 1930s to the 1960s, so this piece fits squarely within my interests, both personal and professional.

“I knew that this piece was special when I first saw it, but I had no idea that it was one of two surviving examples, or from the first Horrockses collection. This actually gives specific substance to the print and to the words that appear on it, especially given its 1946 immediately postwar date. To place the British Isles serenely in white in an aerial perspective in a sea of blue seems especially suited to this time. The print delivers a patriotic assertion of a victorious homeland nestled in gently swirling currents of air and water suggested by the curving placement of Shakespeare’s text from Richard II.

“The phrases that the designers selected from that text are carefully curated to emphasise its string of superlatives, like an anthem celebrating this ‘sceptred island’, ‘this precious stone’, ‘this throne of kings’, a soaring devotion despite the devastation that remained in the wake of war and the rebuilding that had yet to be accomplished. I feel very privileged to have this garment in my collection.

“The print’s history is incredibly meaningful to me, and I also love the way my own academic trajectory intersects here, since I’ve just become aware that the company hired designers from the Royal College of Art where I took my master’s degree in fashion history. This Horrockses exhibition is an amazing opportunity to learn more; I’m grateful.”

Councillor Hindle, Cabinet Member of Culture and Arts at Preston City Council, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have found this garment! When we launched the appeal, we hoped someone, somewhere, might recognise it, but to actually track down one of only two surviving examples from Horrockses’ very first collection is amazing.

“It’s a wonderful reminder of just how much history is still out there, cared for in private collections, waiting to be reconnected with its story. Having now collected the housecoat from Edinburgh, carefully wrapped in acid-free tissue paper for its journey, we’re delighted it will be ready in time for this weekend’s opening. We’re incredibly grateful to the owner for coming forward, and we can’t wait to welcome this piece home to Preston, 80 years on from when it first appeared on the catwalk.”

The Harris is still keen to hear from anyone who may own or know the whereabouts of the matching map-print dress, produced by Horrockses in the same fabric, or who has information about any other Horrockses garments. Anyone with information is asked to get in touch at [email protected].

The housecoat will go on display as part of Horrockses Fashions: Everyday Glamour and the Art of British Ready-to-Wear, opening on 19th September 2026 and running until 31st January 2027.