PORTFOLIO OF WORK

ROYAL OPERA HOUSE

I have worked as a Dresser at the Royal Opera House for the last 2 seasons, working on over 25 different productions during my time there. Working on so many shows has forced me to be adaptable, and has introduced me to working with a huge range of different people. Recently, I have also taken on work as Wardrobe Technician, taking my skills further from dressing into costume maintenance and pre-set, as well as giving me more responsibility overall.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

I took on the role of Head of Costume & Wardrobe for my fourth Summer Youth Project of High School Musical. I used this as an opportunity to expand on what I learnt in previous years, and further enrich my skills in design, making/sourcing costumes, fitting and alteration. I also felt much more confident going into this year, which allowed me to collaborate better with the rest of the creative team, make better informed decisions, and manage the backstage running of the show more effectively.

UNTITLED MUSICAL DUET

I took on the role of Head of Costume for the short student film 'Untitled Musical Duet', written/directed by Zoe Jones. As part of this role, I was in charge of designing the look for each costume, in line with the director's vision, as well as sourcing, making, fitting and altering costumes. I was also present on set to dress the actor and check for costume continuity, and any errors that occurred. I also took on some other small roles on set, such as helping to dress sets, assisting with lighting and camera, and taking behind-the-scenes photos.

CAGED BIRD (COSTUME)

I interpreted one of my original designs for the character of 'The Caged Bird (Female)' from my original ballet 'Caged Bird'. The skirt ombres from black through to navy and finally red in the centre, to show the character's inner strength and power. The feather detailing on the costume also shows the character's African heritage through the batik detailing, as well as the distressed look of the costume showing how she has been broken down and abused by society. The character is a representation of the main character Maya's inner thought throughout the production, as well as a representation of racism as a whole.

CAGED BIRD (DESIGNS)

I created a series of designs for an original ballet titled 'Caged Bird', based on the book 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' and the poem 'Caged Bird' by Maya Angelou. As part of this project, I undertook a large amount of research to develop the story and characters, and then created a series of 13 designs based on the Prologue and Act 1, Scene 1 of my ballet. The ballet follows the story of Maya, a young Black girl from Stamps, Arkansas, and her journey from child to adult. The ballet also explores the theme of racism and it's links to today's society with the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, in an attempt to tackle the lack of diversity present in the ballet industry.

DISCLAIMER: I recognize that my final design in this series may be taken offensively, as it depicts a costume reminiscent of those worn by the KKK. By sharing this design, I am in no means supporting the views or actions of the KKK as an organisation, or making a joke of such a serious issue. This costume was not intended to offend anyone or make fun of the KKK's heavily racist actions, however it forms an important part of the story in my production. If anyone is offended in any way by this design or depiction of my costume please let me know as this is something I still want to work on and learn from to ensure my work matches my intentions as a creator.

CORSETRY FOR THE MODERN DAY

I created a series of corsets using the book 'Stays and Corsets' by Mandy Barrington. I used a range of materials for each corset, mainly using recycled/unconventional corset fabrics to be styled for the modern everyday.

SEQUENCE CANCELLED

I was in charge of the costumes for the short student sci-fi film 'Sequence Cancelled', directed/written by Jacob Saul. As part of this role, I was in charge of breaking down the costumes to make them look worn and lived in, as well as altering a white jumpsuit by changing the collar and adding patches, to make it look like a space suit. This was my first proper experience working with film, and I think the costumes look very effective in the final film.

WHITE TUTU

This tutu is the first tutu I ever made. I used 40 denier Italian net and double hand pleating to create the 10 layers that make up the skirt. I also added a hoop for extra support to create the classical pancake silhouette.

POISON IVY CORSET

I created this 'Poison Ivy' themed corset as a commission. I adapted a closed front corset pattern from the book 'Stays and Corsets' by Mandy Barrington, and added the lace, appliques, beading and rhinestones by hand.

MACBETH

I created this costume for the character of Lady Macbeth for a BA production of Macbeth. The costume was designed by Jacqueline Slade, and was set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian society. I created the top using velvet, overlayed in a variety of textures, and then used a mix of velvet and other fabrics in the skirt, which also including a variety of decoration and broken down elements. This challenged me to interpret another person's design specifically to meet the requirements of the performance, and learn new techniques as well as building on previous ones.

R WE SUSTAINABLE?

I created a selection of outfits for a photoshoot to go into a fashion film/lookbook, based on the 6 R's of Sustainability: Repurpose, Reduce, Rot, Recycle, Repair and Reuse. I used a variety of different, often unconventional, materials to create each garment, and also styled each garment to fit the theme of each shot. I also collaborated with others to design the looks, as well as on some parts of the garments, such as the cardboard details and paintings on the skirt and bag.

MERMAN

I created this costume for the character Kuroshio, an exiled merman prince trapped and forced to perform as a sideshow act in a Carnival of Curiosities. His blue jacket reflects his previous life and status as a prince of the sea, as well as his crown, and his tail is a symbol not only of his character but his low position in the circus and the brutality he faces there. The costume is also inspired by a vase found at the V & A, which is mimicked by the colours and details in the costume.

TINKERBELL

I created this Tinkerbell costume for Halloween. It features a beaded/rhinestoned bodice with boning for support, as well as an appliqued/embroidered skirt. It also has a popper fastening and wings attached on.

BUGSY MALONE

I acted as the Costume Supervisor on a production of Bugsy Malone, featuring 80 young performers aged 9-19. I was in charge of sourcing, making, altering and organising around 250 costumes for the show, as well as assisting backstage during the show's run. I thoroughly enjoyed this role, and it challenged me to think both creatively and realistically, as well as working with my fellow creatives, to create an amazing show.

PERFUME ADVERT

We were tasked to create a perfume advert working with Digital Media students that embodied the themes of anime, thriller films, punk music and abstract expressionism. We also had to create a regency period style dress with a fabric manipulation element. I created this costume working with 2 other students from white fabrics, that was then cel-shaded to give the anime effect. I then modeled our costume for our advert shoot, in which the dresses were covered in colourful paint.

3D CRAFTS

We were tasked to create a prototypes of a variety of 3D crafts, including a mask, helmet, tiara and torque hat. My mask was made from Worbla, after being molded from clay over a facial cast made using alginate. My helmet was made from plastazote, on which I experimented with a few different finishings. My tiara was made from wire finished with pearls. My hat was made from buckram covered in thick white fabric and decorated with ribbon, flowers and feathers.

SHOCKHEADED PETER

We were tasked to take a poem from the collection 'Shockheaded Peter', and create a tableau that told the story of the poem. I was given the poem 'The Story of Little-Suck-a-Thumb', which tells the story of a boy who has his thumbs cut off by a tailor, after his mother tells him to stop sucking his thumb, and he disobeys. I created the character of 'Mamma', using pieces I had sourced and then altered accordingly. We also had to comply to the themes of Steampunk and Opera to create our costumes.