Professional course in Costume Design for Cinema, Theatre, and Pro-Cosplay

Lecturer: Claudine Vincent

The pattern maker creates and develops patterns and fabric prototypes based on the sketches provided by the costume designers. They construct and perfect prototypes using fabrics from the collection. The pattern maker technical module, therefore, trains a professional capable of preparing patterns and developing the prototypes necessary to create a costume based on their own or a costume designer’s creative ideas. They are responsible for the line and the visual appeal of the fashion product. The goal of this module is to provide you with all the technical skills necessary to pursue a career as a pattern maker, both within a company or independently. The professional pattern-making module includes a theoretical part and a full immersion practical experience in the laboratory.

• Interpreting the Fashion Sketch – Decoding the fashion sketch; technical sheet; technical terminology (Italian/English).
• Designing the Pattern – Introduction: the role of the pattern maker; study of the basics; proportions; volume and shape; measurements and taking measurements from the body; garment fit; industrial and bespoke patterns; perimeter markings and notches; corrections and finishing; creating patterns (pants, skirts, bodices, shirts, dresses, outerwear).

Lecturers: Laura Diana / Luca Gallotto / Liliana Barione

The module is designed to train professionals specialized in assembling the parts that make up a costume – both for women and men – so they are able to understand and apply various techniques of marking, cutting, sewing, and fabric processing. They will become experts in using the main tools and production equipment. The aim of the course is to provide you with the practical skills necessary to pursue a career as a garment technician in artisanal or industrial workshops, as well as to help you assist costume designers by providing them with the knowledge to better understand the structure of their creations, simplifying communication with pattern makers and production technicians. The Tailoring module includes both a theoretical part and a hands-on practical immersion in the workshop.

Managing the pattern placement and fabric cutting – fabric grain, grain classification; fabric consumption; prototypes, references, production; industrial and manual cutting; notches, positioning holes; fusible bonding.
Managing the garment construction – safety elements; garment construction processes; different construction processes: semi-tailored production, island production, assembly line production; preparatory and intermediate pressing; sewing machine: types of machines and rules for correct use; sewing needles and traditional tools; tacking; sewing stitch types: classification; types of stitches; sewing workshop.
Recognizing non-conformity classifications – defect classification; finished product inspection; main types of defects; knowledge of fabric grain and bias.
Microdesign – anatomical measurements and the market; study of basics, proportions, volume, and shape; solutions for grain and bias; garment fit; degrees of fit; measurements and taking measurements on the body; primary and secondary measurements; preliminary knowledge; industrial basics – definition and development; tailoring basics – definition and development; patterns and perimeter notches; technical sheet; technical description; fabric grain – grain classification; pattern quantity and type; traditional placement techniques; special attention: difficult fabrics; updating the technical sheet; measurement development tables; standard size development table; shaped size development table.
Fitting – corrections and adjustments; fitting tests; defect classification; finished product inspection; seam quality; reporting non-conformities; inspections on specific parts; main types of defects; identification and mapping of defects; recovering anomalies and defects; dimensional test on fabric stability; repair tools: threads and needles; repair techniques.

Lecturer: Christian Colombo

A theatrical and cinematic costume, and even more so that of a cosplayer, is not just a garment to wear but an artistic expression that, through modern technologies, has made complex accessories such as helmets, armor, weapons, wings, intricate footwear, and even cosmetic prosthetics three-dimensional and wearable.
The Prop Making module, balanced between theory and practice, is structured around learning the creation of costume accessories, combining classic modeling with 3D printing, and eventually studying stage props.
Among the various disciplines explored, this module will teach you the techniques for 3D printing in all its forms, the software used for processing operational files for 3D printers, and methods for creating molds for prosthetics and props.
A deep analysis of materials is a key theme in this profession, as it involves extensive use of resins, silicones, polyurethanes, and different types of moldable foams. You will enhance your craftsmanship through the application of classical sculpting techniques, alternating with digital processes, in a continuous back-and-forth between physical workshop and digital production.
The final projects will progress from molding to the final creation, including finishing and decoration techniques.

Lecturer: Alessandro Marcon

The e-Textiles module offers you a comprehensive overview of the integration between electronics and innovative fabrics. The module will take you from the basics of electricity, materials, and necessary tools, to the exploration of types of switches, sensors, and fundamental connections. You will learn how to program Arduino components, creating circuits that can be integrated into garments.
A special focus will be placed on manipulating resistance in new materials to create customized sensors that respond to various needs. Additionally, techniques for connecting rigid and flexible materials, essential for the design of projects, will be addressed.
This module is designed as a long-term resource that encourages exploration and hands-on learning through practical activities. You will be able to develop your personal projects, integrating Arduino components and bringing interactive and unique creations to life that can be used in different contexts. The practical experience will help you enhance your skills and creativity in the field of electronic textiles.

Lecturer: Claudine Vincent / Fabrizio Modina

The theoretical/practical module analyzes the materials and components used to construct a garment or costume. Touch and sight are the senses that contribute to the selection of fabrics and accessories needed for creating a fashion sketch. The material that makes up the garment represents the structural architecture that determines its image and appearance; therefore, a deep knowledge of fabrics is an essential skill for anyone working in the field. The analysis covers the full range of materials available, from traditional fabrics to the latest technological experiments, animal, plant, artificial, synthetic fibers, technical and innovative fabrics, jersey, knitting yarns, lace, leather, furs, feathers, both artisanal and industrial fabric treatments, buttons, buckles, and other accessories.

Docente: Fabio Cristi

The Design Methodology course will guide you through the process of understanding how an idea originates and how it is developed into a final product that meets all the requirements for which it was conceived. The course will provide you with analytical tools to examine the relationship between the product and the processes underlying its creation, through a precise definition of the design phases and the methodologies applied to them. The differences between traditional design and contemporary design also help define the role of the designer, focusing on their specific skills, responsibilities, and overall approach. The course further delves into the identity analysis of the main types of projects: creative, engineering, digital, and research.

• Evaluation and Implementation of the Project
• Definition of the Final Project
• Phases of the Design Process
• Project Management
• Development and Prototyping
• Communication and Presentation of the Project

Lecturer: Eleonora Litterio

The aim of this module is to provide you with the tools to draw a costume fashion figure, allowing you to graphically represent your ideas in a clear and appropriate manner.

• Drawing the face: eyes, mouth, nose
• Drawing the torso, legs, hands, and feet
• Shadows and highlights
• Drawing clothing
• Proportions of the female and male figure
• Various poses of the female and male figure
• Drawing the complete figure

Lecturer: Eleonora Litterio

The aim of this module is to introduce the fundamental concepts of the Adobe software package and to provide you with a satisfactory command of these tools.
The training path will allow you to bring your different creative ideas into a digital design, while simultaneously developing your personal taste and style. The application of textures, backgrounds, and graphic elements complements the primary functions of the two programs, which are designed for transforming existing images or creating new designs of all kinds.

• InDesign and main tools – image import and color management; multi-page layouts and advanced typography; narrative layouts and different styles; complete project of a magazine or catalog.
• Photoshop and main tools – creating and coloring a nude figure; creating a mini collection: moodboard and color card / sketches and patterns / coloring / fabric selection / layout.
• Illustrator and main tools – technical flat drawing of simple clothing: drawing accessories and creating basic brushes; creating advanced brushes and dynamic painting; technical flat drawing; creating patterns and coloring.

Lecturer: Alessandro Depaoli
An object created with a 3D printer represents, in fact, the output and the final phase of a long design process that has been carried out digitally using programs capable of processing objects in their three-dimensional form.
Therefore, this module represents a fundamental path for creating textured props for costumes and accessories, and will provide you with the basic knowledge of professional software applications.

• Polypaint
• Dynamic Micropoly
• Introduction to the software
• Interface
• Masks/Polygroup/Selection/Cut
• Alpha
• Low poly polygonal modeling (Zmodeller)
• Insert Mesh Brushes
• Curve Brushes
• Introduction to organic modeling
• Brush
• Dynamesh
• Zremesh
• UV
• Surface
• Dynamic Micropoly

Lecturer: Silvia Mira

Fashion has always drawn inspiration from art and the past, modernizing ancient forms and techniques, reworking them into precious details suspended in time. From the pleats of the Egyptians to the soft draperies of the Greeks and Romans, from the metallic medieval armor to the sumptuous baroque fabrics, to the Victorian frills and the Liberty liberation, the history of fashion becomes an essential journey for those wishing to deepen the cultural depth of the couturier and costume designer profession, embarking on a journey back in time to discover how men and women dressed centuries before us.

• Antiquity: the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans
• From the high medieval courts to the late 16th century
• Merovingian and Carolingian costume. Costume of the Ottonian period.
• Costume from the 12th to the 13th century.
• Costume of the 14th century
• Costume of the 16th century
• Costume of the 17th century
• Costume of the 18th century
• Napoleonic fashion
• Bourgeois fashion: the century of crinolines

Lecturer: Fabrizio Modina

From Charles Frederick Worth to Iris van Herpen, fashion has evolved from the late 1800s to today, interpreting the desires and needs of the times, sometimes even anticipating them. Absolute arbiters of these changes, couturiers first and designers later, have contributed to the inevitable transition from crinolines to neoprene. This module aims to objectively analyze the Italian and international designers and companies that have transformed fashion into art and art into fashion, visualizing through a photographic and audiovisual journey the work of masters such as Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, and many others.

• 19th Century: the first Parisian couturiers
• Chanel and the great revolution
• The Fifties
• The Space Age
• Great Italian Fashion
• The Eighties: the French new wave
• Made in England
• Japan
• The Antwerp School
• The second Italian generation
• The kings of footwear
• Cult Brands
• Jewelry

Lecturers Fabrizio Modina / Emanuela Zilio

Like all forms of contemporary art and language — difficult to identify and understand for those living in the same era — Modern Mythology today remains an area rarely codified from a cultural perspective, lacking structured research and a developed critical apparatus.
Working on the identity identification that at least five generations have attributed to the heroes and fantastic worlds generated by animation, comics, video games, television, and literature, the following educational proposal is designed to stimulate your curiosity for knowledge, as well as your visionary abilities. It will direct your attention in a new way towards assets with high anthropological, narrative, and value-driven potential, helping you reclaim ancient culture, distant cultures in space and time, both complex and innovative, to identify and begin to formalize your new professional profile, bridging knowledge fields, and recognizing the great authors of our present time.
Alongside the heroes of history and fantasy, the contemporary era is also generating myths, real figures of our time — from music, fashion, sports, and cinema — already becoming icons of the 20th and 21st centuries.
This module aims to fill a cultural gap by providing, through a narrative close to your language, stimuli for research and deepening contemporary themes that may seem diverse but are in fact closely interconnected.

• XVIII and XIX Century: A Narrative Revolution
• 1900/1937: Proto-Modern Mythology
• 1938/1956: Golden Age
• 1957/1969: Space Age
• 1970/1979: Disco Decade
• 1980/1989: The Second Golden Age
• 1990/1997: Glittering Years
• 1998/2010: Wizardry Age
• 2011/2024: Remake & Reboot
• Interactive Lab Module:
  • Phygital and Onlife
  • Languages and Communication of Modern Mythology
  • Video Games and Gamification

Lecturers: Benilde Reis / Emanuela Zilio

Fashion is more than just clothing: it is a powerful tool for personal expression, identity, and inclusion. In a world where traditional gender norms and standardized body ideals still dominate much of the fashion industry, there is a growing need to challenge conventions and embrace diversity in all its forms.
The purpose of this module is to guide you in understanding how genderless design concepts can be reinterpreted to accept and honor atypical bodies, those that challenge the restrictive conceptions of size, shape, and ability found in mainstream fashion. By questioning these paradigms and developing innovative ideas, it will be possible to combine theory, real-world design projects, and critical discussions to produce designs that celebrate individuality and accessibility.

• Intersectionality in Fashion and Design Principles for Inclusivity
• The Future of Fashion
• Understanding gender concepts, bodies, and genderless clothing, considering their evolution in the history of fashion.
• Exploring how atypical bodies are excluded or underrepresented in mainstream fashion.
• Developing strategies to design inclusive and gender-neutral clothing.
• Promoting awareness of the cultural and social implications of inclusive design.
• Fundamentals of Genderless Clothing
• Atypical bodies and fashion challenges: understanding the diversity of body types and their challenges in fashion.
• Introducing gender-neutral fashion and its historical and cultural significance.
• The history of unisex clothing in different cultures.

The Fashion Heritage Academy has partnered with the T.E.S.T. School. This collaboration will allow you to benefit from targeted language training, which is essential for navigating the international fashion scene, participating in interdisciplinary projects at a European or global level, and interacting appropriately with high-level partners, clients, and professionals. The course includes the exam for the APTIS ESOL certification, issued by the British Council.