Selected commissions

Selected examples of my writing, curatorial work and consultancy for brands, publishers and cultural institutions.

Writing

Ewen Spencer — Oh My Mosch

I wrote The Archive Upstairs for Oh My Mosch, Ewen Spencer’s book with MC Bushkin. The essay examines how designer clothes became part of jungle and UK garage, and how we can preserve them without losing the people and culture that gave them meaning.

Published by Friend Editions, the book brings together Ewen Spencer’s photographs of MC Bushkin’s collection, made between 2016 and 2026. The garments include Moschino, Versace, Castelbajac and Iceberg.

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Cover of Oh My Mosch, with red lettering over a colour photograph of a man in a patterned shirt.
Oh My Mosch · Ewen Spencer with MC BushkinPhotography: Ewen Spencer

C.P. Company — 50th anniversary

I wrote the introduction to C.P. Company 971–021: An Informal History of Italian Sportswear and worked across the brand and the British Textile Biennial on its 50th-anniversary programme.

With Dr Danielle Sprecher through the Westminster Menswear Archive, I helped develop displays, catalogue texts, an education programme and public discussions, connecting the brand’s design history with the Biennial’s cultural programme.

The exhibition work included C.P. Library at Darwen Library and archive loans to Cinquanta.

Green cover of C.P. Company 971–021, featuring a photograph of a hooded goggle jacket.
C.P. Company 971–021 (2021). Introduction by Andrew Groves.

Ten Men — Truth and History

An essay examining the relationship between heritage and archives, and how menswear constructs value. Everyday clothing sits alongside luxury fashion in an argument about what deserves to be preserved and why.

I was commissioned to write the essay for Ten Men’s Autumn Winter 2026 issue. Drawing on my experience of collecting and researching menswear, I explored how decisions about what to preserve shape the histories we can tell. The commission brought an argument about everyday clothing and the archive to a fashion readership.

Opening spread of Truth and History by Andrew Groves in Ten Men
Ten Men · Autumn Winter 2026Portrait by William Blakesley-Herbert

Paninaro — The Warholian Spirit of Massimo Osti

From the Factory to the Studio to the Archive. An essay exploring connections between Osti and Andy Warhol, placing fashion design within a wider artistic and cultural context.

Writing for Paninaro, I brought a menswear researcher’s perspective to the relationship between design, artistic practice and the archive. The essay placed Osti’s work in a wider cultural discussion through the connections with Warhol set out in the article.

Opening spread of Andrew Groves’s Paninaro essay on Massimo Osti and Andy Warhol
Opening spread · Restored scanPictures by Brian Sweeney

Admiral — 50 Years of the Replica Shirt

A chapter examining the design and cultural significance of the replica shirt, commissioned for Admiral’s anniversary book.

My contribution was a commissioned chapter in the anniversary publication, documenting the brand’s sporting and cultural legacy. The subject brought together the history of a manufacturer and the wider place of football clothing in everyday dress.

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Opening spread of Andrew Groves’s chapter “Admiral and the aesthetic merit of design”, beside a photograph of football shirts.
Admiral: 50 Years of the Replica Shirt (2024). Chapter by Andrew Groves.

The Observer — ICEcore

An article examining clothing, institutional authority and public accountability, bringing specialist knowledge of uniforms to a general readership.

The commission drew on my research into uniforms and their meanings. I wrote for a general readership about how clothing communicates institutional power, bringing a specialist menswear perspective to a contemporary news subject.

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Fred Perry — An Inventory of Detail

Fred Perry commissioned me to write about BS 381C 638 Dark Sea Grey for An Inventory of Detail, a publication conceived and designed by Scott King.

I followed the colour from its military specification to the walls of my own flat, asking how something apparently neutral can communicate authority. The essay brought a personal account and my research into uniforms and institutional dress to a brand publication about the details that shape identity.

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Green front and back covers of Fred Perry’s An Inventory of Detail, Volume 1.
An Inventory of Detail, Volume 1 (2026). Essay by Andrew Groves. Publication conceived and designed by Scott King.

Curation

British Textile Biennial — Pioneers of the Material World

I helped shape the exhibition’s curatorial narrative, connecting Burnley’s textile history with outdoor clothing, sportswear and streetwear. I also drew on my relationships with brands to arrange loans, bringing together the garments needed to tell that story.

I was Associate Curator at the British Textile Biennial from 2019 to 2025. For Pioneers of the Material World at Towneley Hall, Burnley, I worked with the exhibition team on object recommendations and interpretation.

Burberry coat displayed in Pioneers of the Material World at Towneley Hall
Exhibition view · Towneley Hall, Burnley

Vogue / Lightroom — Inventing the Runway

I consulted on the curatorial strategy for Inventing the Runway, advising on the historical framing and critical interpretation of the fashion runway as performance.

The exhibition was a collaboration between Vogue and Lightroom. My contribution brought a historical perspective to the interpretation of runway shows, supporting the project’s exploration of fashion presentation as a cultural and performative space.

Promotional artwork for Vogue and Lightroom’s Inventing the Runway, showing a large Chanel runway scene and two visitors.
Vogue / Lightroom — Inventing the Runway (2024). Curatorial consultancy by Andrew Groves.

Consultancy

China Design Museum — Assessing the Massimo Osti collection

The China Design Museum commissioned me to assess the Massimo Osti collection donated by David Chu. I examined its significance and research potential, then wrote a report setting out priorities for documentation, preservation and future research.

The report gave the museum a specialist assessment to inform its decisions about the collection’s care and future use. The commission combined close knowledge of Osti’s work with experience of developing and researching menswear archives.

Red-brick exterior of the China Design Museum in Hangzhou
China Design Museum · Hangzhou

Alexander McQueen — Historical research

Over several years, I have contributed first-hand recollections and cultural context to research into the history of Alexander McQueen, covering the designer, the brand and the company. Drawing on my experience working with Lee, I have helped document his early work, the people and creative environment around him, and the development of the house.

Three Alexander McQueen tailored garments in yellow, grey and cream from the Westminster Menswear Archive.
Alexander McQueen tailoring · © WMA.

Conversations and public programmes

66°North — An archive in conversation

Commissioned to chair an archive panel, bringing specialist menswear knowledge to a public discussion for the brand.

My role was to chair the conversation, bringing specialist knowledge of technical outerwear and menswear to the discussion. This is an example of a commissioned public conversation for a brand.

Invitation to 66°North’s 99th-anniversary archive discussion, showing a yellow coat and naming Andrew Groves as moderator.
66°North archive discussion · London, 2025.

Pockets — Behind the Rail

For Pockets’ 30th anniversary, I joined Paul Harvey, Gino Da’Prato and Paul Platt in Bath for Behind the Rail. We discussed Stone Island, C.P. Company and Ten c, the people and processes behind the clothes, and the role of independent menswear retailers.

Group photograph of the four participants at Pockets’ Behind the Rail conversation in Bath.
Behind the Rail · Pockets, Bath, 2026.

Let’s discuss your project

Tell me about your organisation, the project or question and your timing. Include an indicative budget if known. An early-stage idea is welcome.

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