Constructing Costume Histories (CCH) is a research project that establishes the central role of costume making and costume makers in the long and vibrant history of British performance. It brings together performance institutions, professional networks, community groups, and individuals with distinct costume-making traditions – from opera to cinema, television to ballet, and beyond – and fosters collaboration to strenghten existing networks and, through this, document, preserve, and promote British costume heritage and practise.

 

Led by  Dr Veronica Isaac (University of Brighton) and Dr Jade Halbert (University of Leeds), CCH explores a range of performance contexts and costume cultures to inaugurate the first tangible and enduring record of the haptic and ephemeral issues unique to this overlooked but critical creative sector.