Workshops 2022

Days 2 and 3 (Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 September)

There will be seven workshops, each taking place over two days, Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 September. Workshop participants should attend both days. Participants will take part in one workshop and should state their first, second and third choices on the registration form. We will do our best to place you in your first choice but this may not be possible for everyone if some workshops are oversubscribed.
Information about what participants should bring with them, e.g. sewing kit, will be sent closer to the symposium dates.
Workshop sessions with a tutor will take place from 9.00am to 5.30pm, and participants will be be able to experiment with materials.
Click on a workshop name below to read more about it.

Workshop tutor: Kunza

Kunza is a corset designer and maker who is based in London and specialises in modern and historical corsetry. Her work has been seen on Paris and Milan catwalks and in period dramas such as Bridgerton, Downton Abbey, Emma, Pride and Prejudice, and The Duchess, amongst many others.

The corsetry workshop will provide an introduction to the history, design and making of historical corsets for stage, TV and film, from stays to Edwardian corsets to girdles, with corset types (including some original historical corsetry and historical corset boning such as whale bones, metal and plastic) from different periods on display for students to explore. We will be looking at how these created the desired silhouettes in fashion history and costume.

Students will choose from an authentic Victorian or Edwardian corset pattern, copy the pattern and adjust it to their own measurements, if needed, with help from the tutor. They will then cut the fabrics and sew the corset, using mainly machine sewing techniques, and will learn:
– what fabrics work best
– what stitching to use
– what corset boning to choose
– how to insert/attach the corset boning
– how to insert a front busk into a corset
– how to secure the boning and finish the corset
– how to insert eyelets
– the best way to lace a corset

If time allows, students will be encouraged to decorate their corsets and explore corset flossing techniques.

Dyeing and Enhancement

Workshop tutor: Mark Foster

Mark Foster began in a Bristol costumiers aged seventeen, started freelance costume work at BBC Bristol aged twenty, worked as a Costume Supervisor on feature films in the 1990s and costume designed various BBC recurring drama series until 2010 when a slight step sideways moved him into textile art and dyeing, working on World War Z, Mad Max Fury Road (with Jenny Beavan), Season 2 of The Witcher and the Kenneth Branagh take on Death on The Nile.

Mark’s workshop will feature dyeing and enhancement of leather and fabric, the ageing and distressing of fabric, leather and metal, and various enhancement techniques with airbrush, paintbrush and items of decoration and adornment. The result will be a mediaeval style dagger/knife in a leather sheath, with buckled belt and sash.

Embroidery Embellishment

Workshop tutor: Michele Carragher

Michele Carragher is a London-based hand embroiderer and Illustrator.  After attending the London College of Fashion where she studied fashion design, Michele worked in textile conservation, which has proven invaluable to her embroidery work on costumes for film and TV.  Michele worked as a general costume assistant until she drifted towards the embroidery and embellishment of costumes.  Her first role as principal costume embroiderer was on the HBO/C4 mini series Elizabeth I starring Dame Helen Mirren.

She has created hand embroidery, embellishment or textile art for various productions such as Stardust, Prince of Persia, Peaky Blinders, Ali and Nino, Queen of the Desert, Assassin’s Creed, The Crown season one, and most notably Game of Thrones with the costume designer Michele Clapton.

The workshop will be structured around creating the stumpwork beetle pictured, which will give an insight into the variety and layering of materials Michele uses to create the desired look for a particular piece. Materials and a stage by stage guide will be supplied. Michele will bring samples of her embroidery work and notebooks showing progression for participants to have a closer look at, ask questions and understand the different approaches to various projects that she has undertaken.

Handmade Gloves

Workshop tutor: Riina Oun

Riina Õun is a multi-disciplinary designer and a materials researcher. She graduated MA in Material Futures at Central Saint Martins, specialising in bio-design. Previously she trained in leather art and accessories design at the Estonian Academy of Arts before moving to London to work for high-end designers, such as Una Burke, Giles Deacon, Meadham Kirchhoff, etc. Responding to the popular demand for couture leather gloves, Riina O label was born. The material research emerged alongside, answering to the growing demand for sustainable materials. The company’s mission is to carry on the tradition of glove making combined with modern technical developments, paying close attention to detail, as part of the ethical fashion movement.

As well as seasonal collections of couture gloves, Riina O offers a bespoke service and produces specially designed pieces for film, editorial and commercial use. www.riinao.com

In Riina’s workshop, participants will learn how to cut and sew gloves by hand.

Men's Period Tailoring

Worshop tutor: Gillian Carew

Having moved to London in 1997, Gillian secured a position in the Men’s Tailoring department as an apprentice at Angel’s Costumiers. Progressing to head tailor and on to head cutter, she gained an enormous amount of invaluable experience working on a wide variety of costumes for film, TV and theatre. In 2010, she moved to Dublin and set up as a freelance cutter and tailor, continuing her work in the costume industry in Ireland. Alongside this she holds a half-time costume technical lecturer post at the Institute of Art Design and Technology.

With a pattern provided, working with tailoring canvases, some traditional and some modern techniques experimented with, participants will tailor an 18th century period waistcoat. The aim is to give an opportunity to explore, discuss and practice tailoring methods and techniques, and further the appreciation for an old craft, considering how it lives on in the costume industry and where some of the techniques can be used throughout other areas of costume.

Workshop tutor: Sean Barret

Sean Barrett is an experienced theatrical milliner. He trained at Wimbledon School of Art and works in film, television and theatre. He has designed and made hats for many productions and recent work includes the new Downton Abbey film and Gentleman Jack for TV.
In the millinery workshop participants will learn how to design and trim hats with the materials supplied.

Women's Period Tailoring

Workshop tutor: Toni Bate

Toni currently works at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) where she is the Course Leader for their MA Costume Making programme. Prior to this she was a Costume Construction lecturer on the unique Costume with Textiles BA (Hons) degree at the University of Huddersfield. Other educational roles have included Specialist Costume Technician at Edge Hill University, Costume Lecturer at Liverpool Community College and Costume Designer and Wardrobe Supervisor at Arden School of Theatre in Manchester. Since graduating from Liverpool’s prestigious Mabel Fletcher course in 1994 Toni has also worked as a costume maker, tailor and wardrobe supervisor for theatre, film and television.

Toni’s workshop will explore bespoke pattern cutting for women’s period costume through both flat pattern drafting and cutting on the stand techniques. Skills necessary for successful design interpretation will be discussed and demonstrated and participants will interpret various historical silhouettes by adapting basic blocks, manipulating patterns and draping.