Museum of Lifestyle and Fashion History

The Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History is a non-profit 501(c) 3 history museum that was established in 1999. The inspiration for the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History of Delray Beach was the phenomenally successful popular culture & retrospective exhibit "40 Years of the Barbie® Doll" in celebration of Women's History Month which was on display from March 1999 thru September 2000 in Delray Beach, Florida. Mattel, Inc, loaned from their archives to Durante nearly 80 Barbie® dolls for display in the exhibit. More than 20,000 visitors from around the world attended this exhibit which made it the #1 attended exhibit in the history of Delray Beach and one of the most memorable Museum exhibits in all of Palm Beach County. The Barbie® Doll exhibit was conceived and curated by Lori J. Durante who is the Executive Director/Chief Curator of the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History.

The Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History (MLFH) has been raising monies to acquire property for a proposed museum facility for the purpose of presenting permanent and traveling exhibits.  The Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History has been the only museum in Palm Beach County approved to host traveling exhibits from the Smithsonian Institution.   When the Museum was located in the donated space in a shopping center in downtown Delray Beach a number of exhibits from the Smithsonian were hosted.  That shopping center has been sold and demolished for redevelopment.  A building is very much needed by the Museum to once again bring exhibitions to this area from the Smithsonian as well as artifacts from around the world.  For the permanent building for the Museum, there are many naming opportunities available as well as other donation and sponsorship categories.

In 2009, MLFH opened in a temporary donated 8,000 square feet facility at the Boynton Beach Mall in Boynton Beach, FL. MLFH will be at this location for at least three years while fundraising efforts still continue for the permanent building.

The Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History is a non-profit museum that was established in year 1999.  The mission of the Museum is to offer educational programs, and history and retrospective anthropology exhibits showcasing lifestyle, cultures, people, places, fashion trends, clothes, architecture, furnishings, decorative arts, interior designs, locomotives and toys, and information about popular uses of artifacts by people/events of various periods of time.  The goal of the Museum's mission is to collect and preserve objects and artifacts that relate to the Museum’s mission; provide educational & cultural arts programs for children, families, the general public and the economically disadvantage; and the goal is to enhance tourist attractions and the economy of the area.