About the Team

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Meet Cathy

“I created Foundations Revealed to help us all work together to realize our costume and corsetry dreams.”

British costume artist Cathy Hay is the creator and publisher of Foundations Revealed, which was born out of a grand wish to help other dressmakers to connect with each other, stay inspired and positive, hone their skills together and realise their sewing dreams.

She is a member of both the Costume Society in the UK and the Costumer’s Guild West in the USA. Her own website is cathyhay.com.

Meet the Mentors

Luca Costigliolo

Luca Costigliolo changed the corsetry world in 2015 with just one Foundations Revealed article about synthetic whalebone. He is an extraordinarily talented costume cutter and maker for film, television and stage around the world, with a genius eye for what works in creating a truly stunning, historically accurate silhouette.

MORE ABOUT LUCA

He recently worked in Hungary as a cutter on the Showtime costume drama The Borgias, creating all the costumes for the role of Lucrezia Borgia, designed by Oscar winner Gabriella Pescucci. For nine years he was the Head of Wardrobe for the Spoleto Opera Festival in Italy, and he was a member of the wardrobe team at Shakepseare’s Globe Theatre in London from 1999-2005, cutting and hand-making clothes for award winning productions.

He teaches accurate historical cutting and sewing techniques at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome along with world famous costume designer Piero Tosi. He also teaches short courses at the School of Historical Dress in London.

His knowledge on historical tailoring and dressmaking techniques have led him to collaborate with museums with important dress collections such as The Bowes Museum in the UK and the National Trust, for whom he has recreated an 1884 gown that belonged to Princess Alexandra. Luca was also the historical sewing expert on recent BBC programmes such as Victorian Farm and Edwardian Farm.

Luca is the co-author of three pattern cutting and construction books for V&A Publications, as well as the forthcoming Patterns Of Fashion 5, continuing the work of Janet Arnold.

He’s also a warm, friendly, funny, approachable guy, as you’re about to find out, and he REALLY wants to help you succeed so that there can be more beautiful corsets and clothes in the world!

Lowana O'Shea

Lowana O’Shea is the designer and corsetiere behind celebrated Australian slow fashion label Vanyanís, specializing in exquisite corsetry, bridal couture and luxury ready-to-wear fashion.

MORE ABOUT LOWANA

Lowana opened her School of Couture in 2015. Driven to preserve the art of corsetry, Lowana passes her skills to a new cohort of emerging corset makers and gets a thrill every time she sees her students succeed and flourish. She is passionate about empowering her students with the skills they need to continue their sewing independently, providing the guidance and support she wished she had when starting her own journey. Lowana’s skills have been hard won through over a decade of study. She is known for her meticulous attention to detail and love of subtle (but extravagant) details in her work, and we are delighted to have her loving, supportive energy on the Mentoring team to help you move forward with your sewing.

Barbara Pesendorfer

Designer and master tailoress Barbara Pesendorfer founded Royal Black Couture and Corsetry in 2006. She has created couture constructed to her own designs and patterns for over fifteen years.

MORE ABOUT BARBARA

During this time she discovered her passion for corsets, which have become one of the specialities of Royal Black.

Perfect fit, exquisite fabrics and expert level workmanship are the trademark of each Royal Black creation, whilst a mixture of classic couture, tailoring techniques, and new technologies like laser cutting, engraving, and 3D printing turn each garment into a unique piece of wearable art.

Barbara Pesendorfer has been a mentor to Foundations Revealed members since 2017. She also gives talks and teaches classes about corsetmaking, and runs a costume rental service.

Constance MacKenzie

Constance MacKenzie is a professional costume maker stuck half way between the 16th Century and the Gamma Quadrant. Much of her work is in film and television. Her first job was working at Shakespeare's Globe, and she has gone on to work on projects such as Wonder Woman, the Kingsman movies, Mary Poppins Returns, and Britannia.

MORE ABOUT Constance

Meet the Team

Jema Hewitt

Jema Hewitt is the Editor of Foundations Revealed, commissioning articles and working closely with the writers and team to provide creative, innovative, content and fun.

She is a professional costumer and educator living and working in the UK. Jema has a Master’s Degree in Pattern Cutting and works for film, theatre and TV, as well as lecturing at various Universities.

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Rachel Stimson

Rachel is Director of Finance and Operations, looks after running the business.

Since she was a little girl she has loved history and historical clothing, in particular Elizabethan, late Victorian and Edwardian.

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Elizabeth Licata

Elizabeth Licata is an artist, writer, and independent researcher from Chicago, Illinois who helps us upload and present new content on the Foundations Revealed site.

She is a professional theater costumer who has worked as a stitcher, first hand, and cutter/draper at theaters around the U.S. She is also a veteran cosplayer and alumna of the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya, Japan, where she and her partner won the Brother Award for best costume construction.

MORE ABOUT ELIZABETH

She loves to travel and has been a guest judge, panelist, and performer at conventions around the world.

Elizabeth has a master’s degree in East Asian Studies from Stanford, specializing in cultural history and 19th century Kabuki fan culture. She expects to receive a Master of Fine Arts in Costume Technology in May 2021 from Indiana University, where her studies have focused on patternmaking, tailoring, and historical costume construction. In addition to her MFA coursework, Elizabeth has studied haute couture at FIT and classical tutu-making with Travis Halsey.

In addition to Foundations Revealed, Elizabeth’s writing has appeared in print and online in publications including Threads, Business Insider, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Racked, The Gloss, Yahoo News, MSN, Today, Apartment Therapy, The Kitchn, SheKnows, Scary Mommy, and more.

Sharon Nevin

Sharon is official Correspondence Rock Star for Harman Hay Publications, answering your email and keeping the administration running smoothly.

Sharon fell down the rabbit hole of historic costuming when she first started University and came across a medieval group at orientation week.

MORE ABOUT SHARON

Abby Cox

Abby Cox is the Social Media Manager for Foundations Revealed. She has been studying and working in the fields of dress history and historical costuming for 15 years.

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Jalea Ward

Jalea Ward has been sewing since she was a teenager, and as Community Concierge, she is now able to encourage others and share her passion for costuming and sewing.

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Maeri Certo

Maeri Certo is a corsetry & historical costuming enthusiast who dabbles in retro/pinup styling more often than historical dress. As a Foundations revealed Community Concierge, Maeri is excited to support this creative & caring corner of the internet and help other Stitchlings embrace their passions.

Her current passions include her millinery & costume design business Certain Sundries and expanding her personal collection of vintage-inspired clothing & lingerie.

MORE ABOUT MAERI