Edinburgh College of Art costumes set for live shows

Wednesday May 13th 2026

(L-R): Nuala Dunbar’s Truffaldino, Ciara Burns' Pepita and Jennifer Bedlington’s Rapunzel (credit: Sally Jubb)

Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson

A Pixar-inspired winged creature with a feline head and an 18th century jester crowned with elaborate headgear are among the eye-catching creations taking centre stage at this year’s Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) Performance Costume Show.
More than 100 designs by students on Edinburgh College of Art’s Performance Costume programme will be presented during three theatrical shows at the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, this Friday (15 May).

The annual show brings together the ‘creative flair and technical talent’ of graduating students, showcasing costumes designed for theatre, film, opera and dance, alongside group performances from first, second and third-year students.

This year’s show includes the magical winged cat-like character inspired by Disney Pixar’s blockbuster animation Coco. A brightly-coloured, mystical hybrid, featuring an illuminating ram-horned jaguar head and neon wings.

Student Ciara Burns recreated the creature, known as Pepita, with a large, horned cat head and feathers sweeping down both arms in a bold palette of bright yellow, purple and green.

Nuala Dunbar’s impressive design recreates Truffaldino, a jester from the 1761 play, The Love of Three Oranges by Italian playwright Carlo Gozzi.

The impish character has been recrafted through a lens of absurdism, drawing on inspiration from 1980s club kids and the fashion designer Leigh Bowery. The brightly-coloured, patterned jester wears a hat with three red arms circling away from it.

Jennifer Bedlington’s costume retells the story of children’s classic Rapunzel, with the character holding a cascading plait of hair and donning a chest of armour with floral cut-outs.
Blending historical silhouettes from the 12th and 14th centuries with contemporary techniques, feminist themes are drawn from the traditional fairy tale.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s timeless tale, beloved by children and adults alike, The Little Prince is the inspiration behind Millie McCann’s eye-catching costume.

The Businessman – a comic, materialistic character consumed by wealth – dons an oversized navy and yellow suit with a giant tie emblazoned with numbers.

Catherine Jeffrey draws on Art Nouveau and Celtic design from the La Tene period in her sci-fi reinterpretation of the Mad Hatter from Lewis Carroll’s beloved Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Dressed in hues of blues and gold, the Mad Hatter’s traditional top hat is abandoned in favour of a striking gold-horned headdress.

Set in Berlin during the rise of Nazism, the nightclub owner that narrates the show is reimagined as going through a transformation into a praying mantis. He is dressed in a fully tailored 1920s tailcoat and uniform breeches with exaggerated insect features.

Other dramatic designs on show include Ratty from The Wind in the Willows, a ballet-inspired reimagination of Penelope from Homer’s Odyssey and an ethereal design of Diva Plavalaguna from the cult sci-fi film The Fifth Element.

(L-R) Millie McCann’s The Businessman, Catherine Jeffrey's sci-fi Mad Hatter and Mala Buxton’s Master of Ceremonies (credit: Sally Jubb)

ECA’s Performance Costume programme develops and hones students’ skills and creativity to help them become the next generation of designers and costume makers in the film, television and stage industries.

Graduates of the programme have gone on to work on a range of celebrated productions, including Wicked, Wonka, Gladiator, Blood of my Blood, Bridgerton and productions at Scottish Opera and the Northern Ballet.

Programme Director of Performance Costume at Edinburgh College of Art, Megan Baker, explained:

“The exceptional designs showcased in this year’s Performance Costume show reflect the boundless, inventive creativity and technical skill of our talented students. Our graduates make a significant impact on the stage and screen industry, and we wish this year’s cohort every success as they take the first steps in their creative careers.”

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