THE FORMER owner of a popular vintage clothes shop is looking to open a museum celebrating Malvern's rich history in the world of fashion.

Romy Lincoln-Trapnell previously owned Clifton Hill Vintage before having to close the business suddenly two years ago after she was diagnosed with cancer.

But now she is looking to fulfil her dream of opening the museum which she has planned since she moved to Malvern six years ago.

Once open, the museum will feature a permanent display focusing on existing and long-gone Malvern fashion houses such as Cox's, Brays and Warwick House.

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Mrs Lincoln-Trapnell is also looking to hold a drop-in session where she will record people’s memories of visiting or working in the shops.

If all goes according to plan, Mrs Lincoln-Trapnell is hoping to open her new museum by March, and it is hoped it will be at a venue in Great Malvern.

She already has a large collection of vintage clothes from the area, having held several temporary exhibitions in her old shop.

She said: "I have had the idea of doing this for years and I've never been able to shake the thought of it- hopefully my dream is about to come true.

"When I was running my shop it got to the stage where I was getting more excited by my temporary exhibitions than I was about the actual business.

"Hopefully my troubles with cancer are behind me and now I am able to move forward and make this museum happen.

"The feedback from all the previous exhibitions has been very positive and I have had lots of very encouraging comments on social media since I announced the museum idea."

As well as the museum, Mrs Lincoln-Trapnell will be creating a library containing books about the history of fashion.

Mrs Lincoln-Trapnell has applied for a start-up grant from Spacehive which supports local, community projects and she has also set up a crowdfunding page.

She added: "I’m so excited, my dad was an antique dealer so I was always around historical objects of some kind, and I have always wanted to work with historical costumes.

"This museum will be something completely unique, there isn't really anything like this outside of London."

Visit www.spacehive.com/fashionmuseumandresearchlibrary to donate to the museum.