Curriculum vitae
Eleanor Gibson
Costume maker for stage and screen
I have been a freelance costume maker for film, television, the West End, ballet and opera since I graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2013, making for principal cast and supporting artists.
I specialise in period and contemporary womenswear, including ladies’ tailoring and some menswear technique, corsetry and tutus, and I work in tulle, leather and hand and machine embellishment.
Costume maker, moving into textile conservation
Since 2013 I have built and handled period, contemporary and complex garments for film, stage and ballet. I know historical dress from the inside: how it is cut, boned and finished, and how silk, lace, tulle, velvet and leather behave under the needle.
I want to bring that knowledge to textile conservation, preservation and restoration. I keep careful records: annotated diagrams with the measurements and design details a garment needs to be made again. At my own studio I already repair and restore heirloom and vintage garments.
Bridal and couture alterations in Lewes
I run Ellie’s Atelier in Lewes, where I fit, alter and restore bridal and evening wear. I designed and made my own wedding dress.
The work draws on everything I have made since 2013 for the Royal Ballet, the Royal Opera House, the West End and film: corsetry, tulle, structured bodices and period womenswear.
- Lewes, East Sussex
- Full UK driving licence
- 2013 Graduates from the London College of Fashion; first feature film, Fury
- 2015 First tutus, with Tutu Makers Studio
- 2017 Womenswear maker at Glyndebourne
- 2018 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child begins
- 2021 Marvel: Doctor Strange and Ant-Man
- 2023 House of the Dragon and Wicked
- 2026 Opens Ellie’s Atelier in Lewes
Selected work
-
My own wedding
Broderie anglaise wedding dress
I designed and made it, with a deep V filled by a sheer panel, short flutter sleeves and a floor-length A-line skirt.
-
The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet
Traditional tutus
Built for structure, long wear and elaborate decoration: Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote and private commissions. Each is a fitted bodice and basque over layers of net, tacked by hand so the skirt holds its shape.
- Made with
- Tutu Makers Studio
-
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
The Dementors
A whole new set for the performers, in the finest organza made and many metres of tiny French seams.
Even before construction, the organza is ethereal and haunting.
- Designed by
- Katrina Lindsay
- Made with
- Karen Sharp Costumes
-
House of the Dragon, season two
Tabards for the fleet of the Free Cities
Embellished by hand and machine: contrast layering, blanket stitch, machine embroidery and couching, with hand-stitched coins and shells.
It’s all in the detail.
- Designed by
- Caroline McCall
- Made with
- Dee Sheehan Ltd
-
Matilda The Musical
Rodolpho, the ballroom dancer
Lycra from head to toe, covered in hundreds of hand-cut pink and blue discs. My favourite costume to have helped make.
- Designed by
- Rob Howell
- Made with
- Karen Sharp Costumes
-
Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands
Mrs Mayor’s two-piece
Worn walking a blue topiary poodle through the suburbs. The production has since been filmed for cinemas.
- Designed by
- Lez Brotherston
- Made with
- Karen Sharp Costumes
-
House of the Dragon, season two
Two Targaryen coats
Rhaenys’s in blue-grey suede and Rhaenyra’s in deep red leather.
- Designed by
- Caroline McCall
- Made with
- Dee Sheehan Ltd
-
Wicked and Wicked: For Good
Costume for both films
Two stints in 2023, one from January to February and one from June to July.
A fantastic showcase for costume, and I feel very blessed to have been part of it.
- Designed by
- Paul Tazewell
- Made with
- Dee Sheehan Ltd
Skills
Construction
- Period and contemporary womenswear
- Ladies’ tailoring, and menswear tailoring technique
- Corsetry and boned bodices
- Traditional tutus
Hand and machine finishing
- Hand sewing and finishing
- Hand and machine embellishment and embroidery
- Couching and blanket stitch
- Beading and lace appliqué
- Hand-rolled silk hems
Materials
- Silk, lace and organza
- Tulle
- Velvet
- Leather
- Lycra and stretch fabrics
Repair and restoration
- Invisible repair and patching
- Period zips, hooks and fastenings
- Heirloom garment care and remodelling
- Handling fragile, old textiles
Running a studio
- Client consultations and private fittings
- Quotes, bookings and invoicing
In the workroom
- Working alongside costume cutters and designers
- Assisting in fittings
- Documentation: annotated diagrams, measurements and design notes
- Working to production deadlines
Experience
-
2026 to now
Founder and maker Ellie’s Atelier, Lewes
A private, appointment-only studio for bridal and evening wear, everyday alterations and textile restoration.
Bodice re-cuts, reboning, bustles and multi-layer hems, for brides, bridesmaids, mothers of the bride and black tie, and for boutiques.
-
2013 to now
Freelance costume maker Self-employed, for film, television, theatre, ballet and opera
Workrooms include Karen Sharp Costumes and Dee Sheehan Ltd.
On set as a costumer for Tulip Fever, and as crowd seamstress on Christopher Robin.
-
2015 to now
Tutu maker Tutu Makers Studio, for The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and private commissions
-
2017 to 2018
Womenswear maker Glyndebourne Opera House
-
2013 to 2016
Costume maker and fittings assistant Anna Maria Genuise, for the Royal Opera House, The Royal Ballet and theatre
Credits
42 productions since 2013, newest first.
-
2026
- Young Sherlock, season two Amazon MGM Studios, August 2026
- The Mummy (untitled)
-
2025
- Evita West End, May to June 2025
-
2024
- Onegin The Royal Ballet, November 2024 to January 2025
- Wednesday, season two Netflix, May to October 2024
- Mean Girls West End, April to May 2024
- Hadestown West End, 2024 to now
- SIX West End, January 2024
-
2023
- Edward Scissorhands Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, November 2023
- Wicked and Wicked: For Good Universal Pictures, January to February and June to July 2023
- House of the Dragon, season two HBO, May to June 2023
- Hamilton West End, March to April 2023
- Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Sony Pictures, February to March 2023
-
2022
- The Acolyte Lucasfilm, Disney, November to December 2022
- Dune: Part Two Warner Bros., October to November 2022
- Poulenc Glyndebourne, May to July 2022
- Like Water for Chocolate The Royal Ballet, May 2022
- Mary Poppins West End, June 2022
- Matilda The Musical West End, 2022 to 2025
- Samson et Dalila Royal Opera House, March to May 2022
-
2021
- Don Quixote Birmingham Royal Ballet, October 2021 to February 2022
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Marvel Studios, Disney, May to September 2021
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Marvel Studios, Disney, March to April 2021
-
2019
- The Nevers HBO, June 2019 to September 2020
-
2018
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child International, 2018 to now
- The Great, season one Hulu, October to November 2018
- Spider-Man: Far From Home Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios, May to September 2018
- Swan Lake The Royal Ballet, January to March 2018
-
2017
- Christopher Robin Disney, August to September 2017, as crowd seamstress
- Black Mirror, season four Netflix, five episodes including USS Callister, January to February 2017
-
2016
- The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker The Royal Ballet, October to December 2016
- Volkswagen Tiguan: I Believe in a Thing Called Love Hungry Man, commercial, October 2016
- American Assassin CBS Films and Lionsgate, August to October 2016, as costume workroom assistant
-
2015
- Nissan Leaf: Joe Wilkinson Presents the Foolproof Guide to Electric Driving TBWA, commercial, October 2015
- War Machine Netflix, September 2015
- Swan Lake Birmingham Royal Ballet, August 2015
- Tutu collection Tutu Makers Studio, April 2015
- King Arthur: Legend of the Sword Warner Bros., March to July 2015
-
2014
- The Legend of Tarzan Warner Bros., August 2014
- Tulip Fever Paramount Pictures, April to July 2014, as set costumer
- Suffragette Film4 and BFI, March 2014
-
2013
- Fury Sony Pictures Entertainment, September to December 2013
For the Royal Opera House and The Royal Ballet, with Anna Maria Genuise: L’Ormindo (Shakespeare’s Globe and the Royal Opera House); Andrea Chénier; Un ballo in maschera; I due Foscari; Anna Nicole; Cavalleria rusticana; Onegin; The Nutcracker; La traviata.
Theatre and dance: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Rose Theatre Kingston); Atma Dance Company; Billy Elliot the Musical; Prix de Lausanne; Hamburg Ballet School: The Sleeping Beauty; Ballet Black: Two of a Kind; Richard Alston Dance Company: Rejoice in the Lamb and Burning; Shaun the Sheep ballet.
Education
-
2010 to 2013
BA (Hons) Costume for Performance London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London
-
2009 to 2010
FdA Theatre Design for Performance Wimbledon College of Art, University of the Arts London
Outside the workroom
Community
Befriender with Age UK East Sussex since 2020, and a volunteer at the Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare.
Singing
I sing with SingSpace, a local musical theatre choir that performs at Christmas markets and in ticketed shows.
Making and growing
I crochet and knit, mostly as gifts, and collect and wear vintage clothes. I garden too, and took the RHS Level 2 in garden planning in 2021.
Outdoors
Sea swims and saunas, yoga and fitness training, and walks with Cleo and Bonnie, our wire fox terrier and Deerhound lurcher. Cleo is also the atelier’s Chief Studio Hound.
Get in touch
For availability or references, email me at [email protected].