So much goes into designing and creating a successful costume. You’ll analyse, interpret and make the visual elements of character expression and storytelling through the relationship between costume, the body, and movement. We’ll encourage you to take risks and to question and challenge your work.

Studying our Costume with Textiles course will encourage you to:

• Investigate design, textiles and construction techniques to give you a thorough grounding in all aspects of costume.
• Experiment in costume design and illustration, textile design, pattern cutting and construction techniques, bespoke garment fitting, and final costume realisation.
• Develop professional costume skills such as text/music/character analysis, in-depth visual and contextual research methods, communication and presentation practice and applying reflection and critical evaluation
• Learn practical textile specialisms including embroidery and print, as developed and used in the costume field. Try new techniques for ageing and breaking down textiles in costume for a variety of performance areas. We’ll give you the chance to get out and about, with trips to current costume-related exhibitions, performances, and events.

Our design, construction, and textiles studios are home to facilities that help bring your ideas to life including computer-aided design (CAD), and traditional and contemporary embroidery and printing techniques including handcrafting, laser cutting and digital printing. Our dyeing, printing, embroidery, and construction workrooms have specialist equipment so you can work on surface textile techniques and sophisticated costume construction methods.

Placements

The course offers an optional one-year (36 week minimum) work placement after the second year, in the UK or abroad. This will give you the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience, insight into your chosen career and open up your graduate employment prospects. Our Placement Unit and academic staff have excellent industry links and can support you in applying for and finding your placement(s), as well as during your placement year.

Students within the area of Costume with Textiles have previously taken up placement opportunities in theatre, film and television with companies including: Opera North – Leeds; The National Theatre – London; The Royal Exchange – Manchester; Scottish Ballet – Glasgow; Northern Ballet - Leeds; Royal Shakespeare Company - Stratford; BBC Wales - Cardiff; Opera Australia (based in the Sydney Opera House) - Australia; Cabasa Carnival Arts - Oldham; Birmingham Costume Hire - Birmingham; Central Youth Theatre - Wolverhampton; Hat Therapy - Hebden Bridge; Souraya – Australia; Zandra Rhodes – London; The Crucible Theatre – Sheffield and Bayerische Staatsoper – Germany and Timorous Beasties - Glasgow. You can tailor your placement year to suit you, depending on what specific industry experience you wish to gain.

Alternatively, if you are a student from within the UK or the EU, you could consider starting your own small business by applying for the Enterprise Placement Year in conjunction with the University’s Enterprise Team. You’ll have the opportunity to benefit from business advice, mentoring and networking sessions. You can find out more information on the Enterprise Placement Year here.

Your Career

This course aims to help you develop the skills needed for roles such as costume designers and makers for film, opera, theatre, dance and television; textile designers for the creative industries; wardrobe assistants; set designers; illustrators; stylists and teachers. Some companies our graduates have gone on to work with include Angels the Costumiers, The Beamish Museum, Bristol Costume Services, The English National Theatre, Opera North and The Northern Ballet.**