Exhibits Development Group (EDG), a global leader in travelling exhibitions, has partnered with Cosprop, Ltd., London, one of the world's largest costume houses, on several exhibitions, including CUT! Costume in the Cinema, Jane Austen, Downton Abbey, Sherlock Holmes, Costumes of the Gilded Age, and now, Costume Couture.
Cosprop has transformed costume design and creation. Established in 1965 by Oscar-winning costume designer John Bright, it specialises in period costumes for film, TV, and theatre.
Bright’s expertise as a costume designer, costumier, maker, advisor, collector, and historian has contributed his keen eye for detail to thousands of film, television, and stage productions.
For this project, EDG teamed up with the Fashion and Textile Museum in London. The museum also shared the vision for a retrospective of his work and hired former V&A curator Keith Lodwick to design the show with Bright.
This exhibition celebrates sixty years of Cosprop’s creativity. It offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at stunning costumes, accessories, and sketches, allowing visitors to understand the design and production journey from script to screen.
Visitors can see iconic costumes from films such as Pride and Prejudice and Mrs Harris Goes to ParisImage courtesy of Exhibits Development Group
Renowned costume designers and actors share insights on their favourite costumes, illustrating how Cosprop helped bring these moments to life.
The exhibition highlights 75 costumes, including never-before-seen costumes such as Helena Bonham Carter in A Room with a View, Meryl Streep in Out of Africa, Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey, Colin Firth as Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, and Leslie Manville in Mrs Harris Goes to Paris.
The popularity of costume exhibitions
When EDG first released CUT! Costume in the Cinema to the international museum community, it felt that textile and costume shows may be a hard sell. However, that was not the case. The exhibition toured for over 10 years to art museums, history museums, fashion museums and historic homes.
EDG also launched a series of Downton Abbey costume exhibitions in 2012 and continues to tour the costumes to museums and historic homes worldwide.
The exhibition features 75 costumes, some of which have never been on display beforeImage courtesy of Exhibits Development Group
“Costume making is an art form in itself; the design, the form, the function, the textiles, and the costume designer and ultimately the actor bring the costume to life,” says founder and CEO Amy Noble Seitz.
“Since our former director of exhibitions, Diane Salisbury, convinced me to design and curate our first costume exhibition, we have thoroughly enjoyed touring costumes and textiles shows.
"In 2015, we opened the Downton Abbey exhibition at the Biltmore Estate, their first travelling exhibition, and were in awe to realise nearly 500,000 visitors and then at The Lightner Museum where we received an award on the city of St. Augustine’s impact on city economics thanks to the uptick in tourism, hospitality and dining thanks to our exhibition.”
Actors walk in with just a script and the name of their character. They walk out with that character fully formed in their mind, having brought him or her to life through the angle of a hat, the fabric of a coat or the feel of a pair of shoes. John Bright
Fashion, textile and costume exhibitions have continued to grow in popularity due to audience response and the simplicity of these tours compared to artefact-based and highly interactive-immersive shows.
Costume Couture is now available to museums and historic homes worldwide, enabling them to share the legendary costumier's 60-year career. It will be at Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh from 18 July 2026 – 9 January 2027.
EDG is celebrating a major milestone this year with its 20th anniversary.
