University News Last updated 21 May
Fashion students at Birmingham City University (BCU) have created a series of dance costumes for the prestigious Elmhurst Ballet School using a zero-waste cutting technique.
Wenxin Tan, Maya Maduike, Jiayi Zhang, Dana Woodhams, Em Karney and Finlay Asbury designed the outfits for the school’s graduate production of A la Mode.
“This is an amazing opportunity for our second-year students to create to a live brief,” said Lee Lapthorne, Head of College of Jewellery, Fashion and Textiles at BCU.
“It gives students an opportunity to showcase their creativity, craftsmanship and skills to a wider audience, and to build relationships with performers and the future stars of the industry.
“It's about connecting to the communities across Birmingham and bringing opportunities to our students, to support the building of their portfolio of work.”
Zero-waste cutting helps designers embrace sustainability by ensuring no fabric is left unused, with the patterns fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle.
The Elmhurst designs were inspired by the narratives and characters of several William Shakespeare plays, including Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing and Titus Andronicus.
The costumes included a range of multi-coloured and monochrome prints designed by Birmingham-based artist John Hall, who studied Fine Art at BCU.
Images of the costumes and performers were captured by BCU photography student Olivia Hyde.