Community Costume 2026: Inside the workshop with BA (Hons) Costume for Performance

After a week of workshops led by MA Costume Design for Performance graduate Jessie Von Curry, Year 2 BA (Hons) Costume for Performance students from London College of Fashion (LCF), UAL, joined Community Costumes 2026. Invited by The Portal Centre for Social Impact, these students collaborated with Year 5 pupils from Brampton Primary School. Their goal: extend both creativity and community through a live educational project.

Working in small groups, the students designed and delivered costume-making workshops for children aged 9–10, aligning their practice with the school’s spring term exploration of fairy tales. With Cinderella as the core literary focus, the brief challenged them to translate narrative themes into accessible, sustainable costume concepts suitable for Key Stage 2 children.

Drawing on technical skills like corsetry and structural design, students adapted their knowledge into participatory activities. The project encouraged them to use costumes to support literacy, creativity, community engagement and embed sustainable approaches.

What emerged during the sessions revealed how powerful creative collaboration can be between young learners and emerging designers. Students were struck by how quickly the children engaged and how confident they became when given space to explore. Several children expressed a wish to do more art at school.

There was also an unexpected contrast in skill levels. While some children struggled with tasks such as tying knots or cutting paper, they excelled in more complex processes, producing intricate drawings and embroidery with remarkable confidence. Their willingness to experiment led to moments of unpredictability. One child became absorbed in making sample squares, while another abandoned a template to invent an entirely new toucan beak design.

Students were equally impressed by the pupils’ critical thinking and collaborative spirit. The children identified design challenges, suggested solutions and supported one another to complete tasks. For many, the experience highlighted both the children’s appetite for creativity and their own ability to adapt and problem-solve under pressure.

Moments that mattered most

For many students, the most meaningful moments came through direct interaction with the children, particularly in the feedback they received. It was encouraging to see how supported the children felt, with several expressing a desire to continue the activities at home.

Students found particular value in one-to-one conversations. They asked about creative choices, helped troubleshoot ideas and saw how eagerly children shared their work. The sessions were especially rewarding when imaginations took flight through activities such as mask-making, with each outcome reflecting individual decisions and interests.

“I was impressed with their level of creativity and willingness to get stuck in and try different things.”– BA (Hons) Costume for Performance Student

Lasting Impact

Students hoped the workshops would leave children with a sense of confidence in their creative abilities and an understanding that art can emerge from simple, everyday materials. They encouraged them to continue making beyond the classroom, experimenting with recycled materials and developing their skills through play.

They also hoped the children recognised that costume-making extends beyond fabric and can begin with transforming 2D materials into imaginative 3D forms. Above all, the aim was to foster a sense of possibility, both in what they can make and how they see themselves.

Designing through fairytales

The fairytale framework, particularly Cinderella, shaped how the workshops were developed. Themes of transformation, imagination and magic became creative entry points, influencing colour, form and structure.

Linking activities to literature helped ground the making process and maintain connections to the curriculum. Some groups incorporated masks or paper fans with motifs such as birds or the glass slipper, strengthening the narrative and increasing engagement. Others drew on the Brothers Grimm version, developing bird-themed designs inspired by the story’s magical helpers.

By framing the workshop as a shared imaginative space and stepping inside the story together, students found that the children engaged more deeply. While some groups focused more on technique, the fairytale framework ultimately provided a shared language for creativity and play.

"Creating our own Fairytale theme tasks; making masks to look like animals/ clumsy Fairy Godmother- adding creative context to the workshop allowed the children to explore imaginative themes". – BA (Hons) Costume for Performance Student

Reimagining familiar stories

The children often interpreted the fairy tales in unexpected ways. Many admitted they didn’t particularly like Cinderella, yet still took pride in their work and enjoyed the making process.

Some connected more strongly with nature-based elements, while others engaged through motifs such as pumpkins or the idea of a party. This allowed for more modern, gender-neutral interpretations. For some, the narrative faded into the background as they focused on technique, while others extended the brief by designing their own costumes.

These varied responses highlighted the importance of flexibility and context, as each child engaged with the material differently.

Rethinking costume in a community context

The project reshaped students’ understanding of costume within a community setting. For many, it was the first time they had connected costume design with education or outreach, revealing new possibilities for how their skills could be applied.

They were struck by the impact on the children. Many had never considered costume as a career yet quickly embraced it as a real possibility. The workshops demonstrated how powerful hands-on creative learning can be, particularly for those who may not thrive in traditional academic settings.

Students also gained insight into the value of collaboration and the diversity of creative interpretation. Above all, the experience challenged the idea of costume as an isolated studio practice, revealing it instead as an inclusive and socially connected form of making.

“It made me realise how impactful art and design can be and how enriching it is for children to get to be creative. Costume is a very good way of introducing children to creative paths because they can make something that is both imaginative and has a practical use.”– BA (Hons) Costume for Performance Student

Community Costumes frames costume not only as something to be worn on stage, but as a means of connection. For BA (Hons) Costume for Performance students, the project expanded the scope of their practice, revealing it as collaborative, socially engaged, environmentally aware and grounded as much in community as in craft.

• Read more LCF Stories
• Find out more about Jessie Von Curry’s workshop at Brampton Primary School