The ReThread Project aims to create a costume workforce training and employment center in New York City that serves the costume design community of the East Coast. The center will offer a variety of free and low-cost training opportunities for both emerging and seasoned industry members, along with hands-on paid apprenticeship programs in partnership with local costume shops. This initiative will serve as a pipeline for harnessing technology and ensuring the continued growth and longevity of the costume workforce.

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Historically unions and trade schools offered training and a pathway to job placement in their represented fields. Currently there are no centrally located programs that cater to the Costume Industry as a whole. The concentration of collegiate and fellowship training programs that focus on Costume Technology are located outside of New York City proper. However, New York State has the second largest grossing film economy in the USA and it is the home of Broadway.

 

A Brief History of Costuming in New York

Historically, New York City has been the center of the arts in the US. When the motion picture industry took root in the city, it grew in the fertile soil of the theatre organizational system. This makes the film and television industry in New York City uniquely New York.

 

The origins of the costume industry grew organically out of the skilled resources within the New York City garment district, immigrant craftspersons, and theatrical shops. One was able to source fabric, notions, and finishings quicker than any other city in the United States. 

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As a mostly female driven workforce women have been underpaid and under-recognized. Costume Designers are paid half of most of our male dominated other crafts, and the pay inequality trickles down to the rest of the department and our vendors. The ReThread Project aims to address these inequalities through strategic partnerships. 

 

As an industry that relies heavily on word of mouth recommendations, or a university backed network, the costume industry has proven difficult to break into by those without such accommodations. This locks out those with the potential but not the connections.

 

Apprenticeships & Placements 
Due to the retiring of most master costume technicians/makers and crafts artisans, our initial focus would be on those courses; ensuring that these traditions and techniques are passed onto the next generation.  For every one Costume Designer there is a team of five to 200+ people they employ.

 

In the creation of the training program, we would focus firstly on Costume Shop Workroom positions:

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• Stitchers

• Ager/Dyer

• Draper

• Draper for Crafts

• Millinery

• Painter

• First Hand

• Machine Operator

• Finisher

• Tailor

• Crafts Artisan (Beading/Embroidery/Armor)

• Cobbler/Shoe Maker

• Language (intro to common languages spoken in Costume Shops)

 

Training

Hands on Courses will be created and offered for in a variety of positions from  Assistant Design and Costume Department Coordinator positions. Stay tuned for more details.