COSTUME SYMPOSIUM 2025

Details of the dates and venue of the sixth Costume Symposium will be announced soon. The event will have with the usual format of a day of talks followed by two days of workshops.

COSTUME SYMPOSIUM 2024

Keynote speaker for the Talks day (Friday 6 September) was Caroline McCall, a BAFTA and Emmy award winning costume designer best known for her work on Downton Abbey (2010) and His Dark Materials (2019). Caroline is currently costume designer on House of Dragons season 2.
Also speaking was knitwear designer, pattern cutter and educator Juliana Sissons, whose background in costume design, Savile Row tailoring and pattern cutting has provided her with a unique approach to knitwear.
A demonstration, Creating Drama: Deconstructing Period Costume, was presented and there was a panel discussion in which tailors, costumiers, costume cutters and makers talked about how they started out in the industry.
Two days of practical workshops (Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September) were led by Sean Barrett (Millinery), Gillian Carew (Men’s Period Tailoring) , Michele Carragher (Embroidery Embellishment), Enda Kenny (Dyeing and Enhancement), Kunza (Corsetry), Riina Oun (Handmade Gloves), with a new tutor and workshop: Lucy Sturley (Costume Making for Stop Motion Animation). Each year the workshops offer an unrivalled opportunity for makers to develop their skills. Find out about the workshops here.

PHOTOS FROM COSTUME SYMPOSIUM 2024

COSTUME SYMPOSIUM VIDEOS

You can watch more videos from the Costume Symposium: at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (2022), Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (2019) and the City & Guilds of London Art School (2018), to see what we offer, as well as taster videos taster videos from some of our talented tutors: Michele Carragher (Embroidery Embellishment), Toni Bate (Women’s Period Tailoring) and Riina Õun (Handmade Gloves). Watch here.

About Costume Symposium

In 2017 award-winning costume designer Susannah Buxton was invited to speak at a costume symposium for young technicians and designers held at the Opera House in Oslo, Norway.  The experience inspired her to set up a similar event in the UK.  The first UK Costume Symposium was held in London in June 2018, followed by the second at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in 2019, the third at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2022 and the fourth at the University of Huddersfield in 2023..  There will be further events in other parts of the country.

Why we started

Practices which support costume design, such as millinery, corsetry, embroidery and tailoring, are often taken for granted and the results achieved are rarely acknowledged. Costume Symposium events aim to recognise and demonstrate these extraordinary and in some cases endangered skills, and help maintain the high quality of production in every area of the arts and entertainment industries.

Who Costume Symposium is for

Some of the technicians working in theatre, opera, film and television work at home in relative isolation and on low pay. They often have little chance to see how others work. Costume Symposium events will enable them to share their knowledge and enthusiasm, hear from experienced practitioners and try out new skills.

What we do

The first UK costume symposium for young technicians and designers took place in June 2018. It consisted on a day of talks, with a costume demonstration and panel discussion on training for costume makers, and two days of practical workshops in corsetry, embellishment and patination, handmade gloves, men's period tailoring and millinery. The subsequent events at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Bristol Old Vic Theare School and the University of Huddersfield have had a similar format.

Here’s a trailer for a video from the Crafts Council in which Susannah Buxton talks about her career as a costume designer and why it’s important to share knowledge and experience with designers and makers through events such as Costume Symposium.  To see the whole film visit the link at the end of the trailer and scroll down the Crafts Council page.

Photos from costume symposium 2023

Photos of Costume Symposium 2023 © Andreas Sterzing

Thanks to the University of Huddersfield and Liz Garland for their support for Costume Symposium 2023.

what participants have said about Costume Symposium

I found the talks really engaging and highly inspirational, especially Tom Pye’s talk, a combination of set design and costume design and how he creates these stunning worlds onstage and in film and television production.

All speakers were extremely well informed and enthusiastic.

Michele (Carragher) was fabulous.  Her attention to detail was outstanding, even in the way she laid out the equipment we would use.  I thought she had planned it really well and the beetle task was complicated enough to challenge us but simple steps to follow to make it feel attainable.

Again a brilliant chance to network.

It was a welcoming atmosphere where everyone felt comfortable to ask questions regarding their millinery pieces and other aspects of millinery and wardrobe and career development.  Sean was always very attentive and patient.

I learnt so many new techniques.

Organisers extremely friendly, welcoming and easy to chat to.  I attended to find out more about the industry and how to get into it and it answered all my needs.  I have since been in touch with ScreenSkills also.

I rarely get the opportunity to mix with other costume workers. Seeing what other people produce and think about is always inspiring.

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costumesymposiumuk@gmail.com