We teach Costume Design and Costume Management as interlocking approaches. Students practice the visual artistry of design, the operational requirements of guiding complex projects and leadership skills. Each student designs one show and project manages one show every year of residency. Download a pdf of our curriculum here.
UC Irvine uses the quarter system allowing us to teach 3 courses in a series every yer. The curriculum rotates on a three-year cycle beginning with first-year foundations classes. We also offer extra workshops for special topics, visiting guest artists and field trips to industry resources and events.
Artistic Exploration Classes: Examples include Costume Design for Shakespeare, Dance & Musicals, Opera, Film & TV, 18th &19th Century, 21st C Topics (eg Burlesque, Drag) Costume Management and Themed Entertainment Costuming
Skills Building & Making Classes: Corsetry, Draping, Millinery, 3D Surface Design, Dying & Fabric Painting, Crafts, Introduction to Costume Construction
Artistic Communication: Figure Drawing, Digital Costume Rendering, Digital Textile Design
Foundations and Conceptual Analysis: Concepts and Collaboration, Script Analysis and Visual Story/Aesthetics of Design
History or Theory Courses: Costume History 1: The Global Ancient World, Costume History 2: Western European Fashion 19th-20th C, History of Musical Theater, Multi-Cultural Performance. Many students choose electives in other departments to explore film history, art history, sociology and anthropology courses.
Bridge to the Profession Each three-year cycle we offer a project that directly ties to professional industry practices and contacts. Prior partnerships included Disney Resorts, Universal Studios and a project with Marvel Studios.
More Samples of Student Work
