Creative costumes bring characters to life in thrilling show

Students from Edinburgh College of Art's Performance Costume programme will present more than 80 creations during a captivating show at the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh on Wednesday 15 May.

Inspired creations

This year’s exciting showcase includes student Fran Andrews’ interpretation of Doc Brown from Back to the Future Part II.

The character is dressed in a protective suit made from sustainable materials that represents Doc Brown’s need to adapt to live in a harsh environment with few resources.

Holly Taylor’s design reimagines the villain Hunson Abadeer from the Cartoon Network animated series, Adventure Time. The character, known for being an agent of chaos, is reimagined in drag with Taylor fusing sea creature designs with designer golf aesthetic to create the character’s demonic form.

Lydia Artimati’s design is based on the character Kira Stone from Mona Awad’s novel Bunny. The plot centres on an all-female cohort at a university.

As the book progresses, things are not as they seem and the reader begins to question what is real and what is fantasy. Artimati uses this theme to create a costume that challenges reality, mixing exaggerated and pseudo-medieval shapes that resemble distorted fairy-tale imagery.

Mythical characters

Serena Bosco pays tribute to Greek mythology with an entrancing costume of the goddess Circe from Homer’s Odyssey that also draws on inspiration from Pre-Raphaelite John Everett Millais' painting, Mariana.

Designed with a medieval silhouette and using vibrant prints, Bosco explores Circe’s importance as a feminist icon through ancient Greece’s female characterisation of nature alongside its demonisation of feminine sexuality.

The Norse goddess of death, Hel, is the inspiration for Joanna Huang’s work. Taken from The Gospel of Loki, a contemporary rewrite of Scandinavian mythology, Huang’s modern take on Viking dress is paired with large deer headdress, creating an eery and frail half-human character.

Literary greats

Despair and jealousy are the focus of Sadie Hemming’s costume of Mrs De Winter, the character and narrator of Daphne du Maurier’s gothic novel Rebecca. Bitterness and devotion are visualised through an extravagant tiered ball gown stained with bright colours.

The witch who froze Narnia is the influence for Ruby Mansell’s C.S. Lewis-inspired costume.

A horned headdress and armoured body are some of the elements that Mansell has used to capture the brutal nature of Jadis – otherwise known as the White Witch - by drawing on inspiration from female warriors and the ways clothing can be used as a weapon.

These mesmerising costumes truly demonstrate the exceptional talent and creativity of our students. I am looking forward to audiences experiencing the magic of each character during this year’s Performance Costume show.

Megan Baker

Industry success

ECA’s Performance Costume programme offers specialist training in costume design and making. Previous shows have helped graduating students launch their careers in the creative industry.

Alumni have gone on to achieve successes in a glittering range of productions including Barbie, Gladiator 2, Napolean, Bridgerton, Mary and George, Dune, Royal Opera, Outlander and the V&A Museum in London.

Nine of last year’s Performance Costume graduates have gone on to work on Outlander: Blood of my Blood and Outlander season 7. Graduate Biz Sutton, who showcased her creation of a giant Orinoco from The Wombles, was the proud recipient of the prestigious 2023 Linbury Prize for stage design.

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