Claire-Louise Hardie- Founder & Teacher

Claire-Louise's training as a costume designer led her to making costumes for the Welsh National Opera and The Royal National Theatre. Her costumes have been displayed in the Theatre section of the Victoria and Albert Museum. After working as a freelance costume maker for several years, Claire-Louise began working as a Wardrobe Mistress and has worked on numerous London West End productions including Fame, Footloose and the 2010 Olivier award-winning production of The Railway Children at Waterloo Station. Claire-Louise spent 6 years touring the world with the Royal Shakespeare Company, during which time she was lucky enough to work with some of the UK's finest actors, and several knights of the realm! 

Her role as a Wardrobe Mistress is to ensure that every audience sees the costumes looking as gorgeous as they were on the first night. She is currently working on the Million Dollar Quartet in the West End, and is enjoying sewing endless rhinestones! 

See Claire-Louise’s interview about working backstage here 

Rosie Dickinson-Teacher

Rosie is a costume maker with a particular interest in dance and burlesque costume

After graduating from Bournemouth Arts Institute in 2007. Since then she has worked in       the Wardrobe Department of several smash hit west end shows, such as Arcadia and The Railway Children. She currently works as a freelance costume maker and stitcher with several clients on Savile Row and makes beautiful custom wedding dresses.

Some of her recent wedding dress commissions are available to view on her blog

Alex trained as a textile designer, but was drawn by the bright lights of the Theatre into a career in Theatre Wardrobe. Her first taste of showbiz was as a dresser on Starlight Express which got her hooked and led her to work with the Wardrobe team at Bromley Theatre for 2 years, where she really learnt the craft of costuming. 

After touring around the UK for several years working on some fantastic musicals including Hot Shoe Shuffle and Anything Goes, Alex re-trained as a soft furnisher. 

Her soft furnishings have featured in film marketing campaigns on the red carpet

and appeared in the UK TV series “Poirot”. Alex juggles her business as a bespoke soft furnisher with a career in Costume and is also currently designing a feature film.

Paula Eastman -Fascinator Teacher 

Paula has worked as a Wardrobe Mistress and costume supervisor on many West End musicals. She re-trained in 2005 at Cordwainers College as a bespoke shoe maker, and offers a specialist shoe repair service to several West end musicals including Wicked, Dirty Dancing and the Globe Theatre. Paula recently launched Feather Fancies, which makes delicious vintage inspired head wear. Paula is our specialist Fascinator class teacher, and helped to develop our Fascinator class programme.