In an extraordinary collaboration with acclaimed photographer and Director Thomas Alexander, MA Costume Design for Performance student’s designs were featured in a stunning fashion film, reframing costume as an expressive, contemporary art form, that blurs the lines between fashion editorial, performance, and cinematic storytelling, repositioning costume not just as an element of performance, but as the central narrator within this new visual language.

 

Premiered as part of the Postgraduate Class of 2025 showcase, the film acts as a manifesto for the future of costume in performance: interdisciplinary, socially engaged, and deeply rooted in both material craft and conceptual vision.

 

The themes explored by the students were as ambitious as the creative process itself. War and sexual violence, gender identity, mental health, nature, cultural heritage, and friendship are all brought to life through garments that move, resist, and communicate. These are not costumes as passive adornments. They are active participants in storytelling, shaped by global discourse and personal narrative.

 

Weeks of rehearsals with dancers from the Alexander Whitley Dance Company were integral to the development of each student’s piece, allowing the designers to understand how their work lives and breathes in motion. This method positions the costumes as both sculpture and skin, interacting with performers, light, and camera to craft immersive visual worlds. The collaboration pushes the boundaries of costume design in the digital age, highlighting its relevance not only in live performance but also in multimedia platforms where visual language continues to dominate.

 

By integrating performative experimentation with the visual codes of fashion photography, the MA Costume Design for Performance course asserts a bold vision for the discipline. This is costume design as editorial, as protest, as poetry in motion. It marks a decisive step in rethinking how costume can function both artistically, politically, and emotionally, within contemporary media and performance landscapes.