Juniors in Moore College of Art & Design’s Fashion Design major began preparations for the program’s annual collaboration with the Philadelphia Ballet during the Fall 2024 semester. Six students organized into teams and began designing costumes inspired by French composer Maurice Ravel’s Boléro.
Students found inspiration during a live performance at the Philadelphia Ballet and a visit to the Ballet’s wardrobe shop. Fashion Design juniors conceptualized and constructed costumes from sketches to final costumes that maximized movement, flexibility, and comfort for the dancers. Students met with dancers and representatives from the Philadelphia Ballet for fittings and critiques throughout the semester, receiving guidance from Moore’s expert faculty along the way.
"The collaboration between Moore and the Philadelphia Ballet has provided our students with invaluable experience in design,” said Morgan Porter, adjunct professor of Fashion Design at Moore. “Our students rose to the occasion with dedication and walked away with new professional connections and experiences they’ll carry throughout their careers.”
In its third year, the collaboration between the Philadelphia Ballet and Moore allows students to gain real-world experience and learn from industry professionals in costume design. In previous years, Moore students designed costumes inspired by The Sleeping Beauty and George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®.
Dancers from the Philadelphia Ballet will wear student costumes in a special performance at Moore on Thursday, February 27, 2025. Check out photos from a fitting in Moore’s Fashion Design studios and see how Fashion Design juniors took measurements, draped and pinned fabric, and worked with dancers to test the mobility and comfort of their designs:
Moore College of Art & Design is the only independent art and design college in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Want to learn more about the Fashion Design major at Moore? Contact our Admissions team at enroll@moore.edu or 215.965.4015 to set up a call or a campus visit. We'd love to tell you more!
