I got a sneak preview of the amazing new David Bowie archive - these were my favourites

He was one of the most important pop musicians and cultural icons Britain has ever produced, with a pioneering influence that spanned music, film, fashion and far beyond. Now, 90,000 items from David Bowie’s personal collection are to be put on display at a new exhibition opening tomorrow (Saturday September 12 2025)

Featuring original costumes, handwritten lyrics and personal letters, album cover artwork, intimate notebooks, personal photographs, sheet music and instruments, the archive of treasures at the newly created David Bowie Centre at the V&A’s East Storehouse in east London reveal fascinating glimpses into the creative mind of the late Starman singer.

“This is the most exciting project I have worked on at the V&A and a must-see for Bowie fans,” says Madeleine Haddon, the archive’s curator. “Through tens of thousands of items we see Bowie’s creative genius, his experimentation and all the different ways he expressed himself through music, words, fashion, film, musicals and technology.

"It is hoped young people will be able to discover his influence and importance too."

Housed at the permanent collection are rotating displays of items. Fans can also book a time slot to see five items selected in advance, which they can get up close and personal with – although it’s not possible to try on any of the singer’s clothes.

The archive’s enormity is only thanks to the David Bowie Estate and a generous donation of £10million from the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group.

Dr Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A, says: “David Bowie was one of the greatest musicians and performers of all time. The V&A is thrilled to become custodians of his incredible archive, and to be able to open it up for the public.

“Bowie’s radical innovations across music, theatre, film, fashion, and style from Berlin to Tokyo to London continue to influence.”

The centre even includes an entire room devoted to ‘unrealised’ projects the singer was working on. Separately, it has received more than 150 requests to access items from the Ziggy Stardust era alone.

Nile Rodgers, who produced Bowie’s hugely successful single and 1983 album Let’s Dance, as well as 1993’s Black Tie White Noise, is one of the archive’s guest curators.

Speaking ahead of its opening, he said: “I believe everyone will agree with me when I say that, when I look back at the last 60 years of post Beatles music, that if only one artist could be in the V&A, it should be David Bowie. He didn’t just make art, he was art!”

As a lifeling Bowie fan these are the items I enjoyed seeing the most.

1. Aladdin Sane jacket

This is the jacket worn by Bowie as another of his most iconic reincarnations, Aladdin Sane, and designed by Freddie Burretti for him in 1973.

Burretti and Bowie originally met in 1971 at the The Sombrero Club in Kensington back when Burretti was a dancer who also worked for a tailor on the King’s Road. He became part of Bowie’s team and was responsible for helping him create many of his memorable fashion moments.

Madeleine says: “The costumes, like this jacket, were critical in the creation of these characters and show how Bowie was always experimenting with fashion and collaborating with others.”

2. Drawing for Space Oddity album artwork

The archive includes many items from Bowie's early career in the 1960s before he became a global star. This childlike pencil sketch from 1969 shows Bowie working on ideas for the album cover of Space Oddity.

The title song on the album introduces us to one of Bowie's earliest characters, the astronaut Major Tom and explores feelings of alienation and the rejection of mainstream society.

It also reveals an important detail for the first time: Major Tom’s surname was Hough. Madeleine says: "These intricate and detailed drawings reveal his interest in science fiction and futurism, strong themes in his work."

3. Self-portrait

This is a lithograph of a 1988 self-portrait painting that Bowie, a former art student in his youth, did on the Caribbean holiday island of Mustique.

Madeleine says: “This is the largest self-portrait we have in the collection although there are other little sketches of himself. He was always drawing, always sketching, sometimes artwork for album covers, sometimes just drawing for drawing's sake – and he also loved to paint.

“As well as many paintings and drawings, we also have his artist’s palette and paints. In this picture he looks brooding and introspective. It shows him as a seriously contemplative man, sometimes troubled man, always thinking and observing.”

4. Ziggy Stardust costume

The asymmetric catsuit David Bowie wore as Ziggy Stardust was designed by Kansai Yamamoto in 1973. It is one of the best known and most iconic of all Bowie’s character creations. Madeleine says: “I was struck by how tiny this catsuit is but the fabric is very stretchy. He was so lean at that point, being on stage every night. There are bangles that Bowie wore on his wrists and ankles to go with it. Like so many of the costumes from that period it is so different and ahead of its time."

5. Photo of Bowie doing his make-up

Photographer Mick Rock’s picture shows the singer-songwriter applying his make-up backstage to turn himself into his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust.Madeleine says: “There is something very intimate and private captured in this moment of Bowie applying his own make-up, turning himself into this character and preparing to go on stage.

“He was very influenced by Kabuki, the traditional Japanese performing art that used striking makeup. Bowie was wearing make-up way ahead of the New Romantic period when it became commonplace for male performers to do so. His gender fluidity opened doors for so many others.”

6. Cut-up lyrics into 19 pieces

Bowie used these lyrics for the song Blackout from the Heroes Album in 1977. The cut-up technique was borrowed from and inspired by the American Beat Generation writer William Burroughs. It involved cutting up and randomly rearranging written text to generate new lyrical ideas and stimulate creative thought. The method creates unexpected word combinations, which can then be used as-is, or as a starting point for new writing.

Madeleine says: “The cut-up lyrics show how Bowie wasn’t afraid to try new creative processes and borrow ideas from other artists. I love that we have them to show people one of the creative tools he used. He was always interested in exploring new ways to create and learning from others.”

7. Sketch for the Diamond Dogs film

A full feature film of David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs was never made but he filmed a demo video for his proposed film adaptation, which was never finished.

Madeleine says: “Many of the items in the archive, like the sketches for the Diamond Dogs film show us all the many unrealised projects he was working on. They show a man who was constantly creating and trying out new ideas, some of which he followed through and some he abandoned for whatever reason.

“We hope showing these items inspires young people to see that the creative process doesn’t always have to be successful and is often trial and error.

8. Serious Moonlight Tour suit.

Bowie made another style departure when he wore this particular suit on the album cover of Let’s Dance in 1983. Designed by Peter Hall, he teamed it with a bow tie from Harrods and suspenders from Brooks Brothers.

Madeleine says: “The suit is so glamorous and stylish yet understated for Bowie. He had an incredible amount of involvement in his stage wardrobe. He would sketch outfits and work with designers like Alexander McQueen on what he wanted them to create for him.”

* The David Bowie Centre will be open daily from tomorrow at the V&A East Storehouse, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London. For more information, visit vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/david-bowie-centre