BA (Hons) Costume

On BA (Hons) Costume, you'll work on exciting costume making and costume supervisory projects. You'll become skilled at producing accurate historical recreations of costumes, contemporary costume and tailoring, as well as expressing imaginative flair.

As well as technical skill, you’ll learn that great costume production depends on your ability to interpret ideas, in addition to being able to place your practice in a wider historical and cultural context. We place real emphasis on research and a deep understanding of social history to support the creation of costumes that tell a narrative within performance. Collaboration is a key aspect of the course and you'll work alongside students from the BA (Hons) Performance Design and Film Costume, BA (Hons) Film Production, BA (Hons) Make-up for Media and Performance, and BA (Hons) Acting courses on stage and film productions.

All undergraduate courses at AUB offer an optional placement year, to be taken between your second and third years of study.

If you’re unsure about this optional placement, you don’t need to decide now. Once you’re here and studying with us, the course team will discuss the placement options with you, so when the time comes, you can make a decision that’s right for you.

If you’re required to have a Student Visa to study in the UK, it won’t be possible to undertake the one-year placement option; there’ll be other opportunities for you to engage with industry during your study at AUB.

In your first year, the aim is to give you a solid grounding in both Performance Design for theatre and Costume Interpretation with Supervision. You’ll explore essential sewing and costume construction skills that will enable you to learn the creative and technical processes required to be a costume maker. In addition, you'll begin to learn about the role of a costume supervisor through documentation of your projects.

Design-orientated projects include life drawing, costume design processes and scale model making. You'll develop a performance design through the study of a text, culminating in a set of sampled costume designs and scale model. The final unit allows you to develop period costume construction skills.

In addition, you’ll develop academic research and writing skills through a series of written tasks, which explore contextual and theoretical issues.

In your second year, your first unit, Historical Costume, will encourage you to be a ‘dress detective’ through examination and analysis of period garments within a broader historical context. You’ll then get the opportunity to make a historically-inspired costume or underpinnings through the acquisition of period cutting and construction techniques. In addition, you’ll develop your critical and contextual knowledge and academic writing through a written project. This unit is followed by the Tailoring unit where you’ll learn how to make a tailored garment using traditional techniques.

The final unit challenges you to push the boundaries to develop your creativity. This unit may offer live project briefs, including working with BA (Hons) Film Production students or making and supervising for AUB Productions.

The third-year focus is on ‘doing it for real’. Projects will range from supervising or making for a live production that BA (Hons) Acting or BA (Hons) Dance will stage, to making a costume for a museum or exhibition. Other opportunities include making costumes for short films produced by our BA (Hons) Film Production students or making for external theatre companies.

The atmosphere in the studios reflects the pace and intensity of the industry and you’ll have the opportunity to work collaboratively with other courses while learning transferable skills, such as teamwork, problem-solving and communication techniques.

In the Research Project unit, you'll write a 5,000-word essay based on your own practice in context.

The Major Project unit is designed to develop your professional skills by working on productions or other live projects. You’ll develop your professional identity by designing your portfolio, CV and personal promotional materials for your launch into the world of theatre and film. You’ll also curate your work as part of the graduate summer exhibitions in Bournemouth and London*.

*The London exhibition is subject to competition.

Our BA (Hons) Costume alumni have gone on to win great things:

• Costume Society Patterns of Fashion Award – winners (2007, 2015, 2020, 2022, 2023); finalists (2012, 2019 (x2)); highly commended (2018, 2023)
• Brancott Estate World of Wearable Art Awards, New Zealand
• Podium Awards – Bronze Award for Successful Student Led Activity
• Podium Awards – Silver Medal in Creative Cultural Project Award
• Prime Cuts Festival; Free Range – Best Costume

Graduates from BA (Hons) Costume are employed at some of the most prestigious organisations in the UK and internationally, including the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Pinewood Studios, Glyndebourne, Royal Opera House, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. Some graduates have careers as:

• Costume supervisor for theatre or film
• Head of Running Wardrobe
• Costume maker
• Costume prop maker
• Costume buyer
• Costume standby for film
• Costume assistant for film
• Costume tailor
• Alternation hand – film and theatre
• Curator
• Museum conservation
• Costume academic
• Textiles teacher
• Teaching assistant
• Dresser
  
• Stylist
• Milliner
• Couture dressmaker (bridal and fashion)

BA (Hons) Costume graduates have gone on to make costumes and costume supervise shows for theatres and film studios all over the world.