Costume Symposium 2024 – Costume Symposium

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. You can see photos from the event below.