Couture Pattern Museum Founder Achieves Professional Membership in ICOM’s COSTUME International Committee

Cara Austine-Rademaker achieves professional membership in ICOM’s COSTUME Committee, strengthening the museum's international preservation efforts

Our mission to preserve the stories and the artistry of haute couture through original patterns is more crucial than ever, and I am proud to see our efforts being acknowledged on a global scale.”

— Cara Austine-Rademaker

SANTA BARBARA, CA, UNITED STATES, August 8, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- After a rigorous six-month review process, the founder of the Couture Pattern Museum in Santa Barbara, CA, Cara Austine-Rademaker, has achieved professional membership in the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and its prestigious COSTUME International Committee.

This membership recognizes the founder's work

at the Couture Pattern Museum, an institution dedicated to preserving and researching original haute couture patterns, many of which are believed to be the last surviving published examples of their kind.

"Our mission to preserve the stories and the artistry of haute couture through original patterns is more crucial than ever, and I am proud to see our efforts being acknowledged on a global scale," said Cara Austine-Rademaker.

ICOM membership is reserved for professionals actively engaged in recognized museum work. As part of the rigorous vetting process, the museum’s mission, archival standards, and public engagement were thoroughly evaluated against ICOM’s Code of Ethics and international museum standards.

This significant recognition connects the Couture Pattern Museum to a global network of curators, conservators, and researchers, further solidifying its role in safeguarding the cultural heritage of haute couture. It also places the museum’s vital work in conversation with leading institutions worldwide, reinforcing its status as a pivotal institution in the preservation and education of historical haute couture craftsmanship through pattern records.

For more information on how the Couture Pattern Museum is preserving haute couture history, visit: couturepatternmuseum.com