Bernadette Banner is a filmmaker and dress historian, best known for her YouTube channel documenting the exploration, reconstruction and interpretation of historical dress. Her work focuses on English and American dress predating the widespread use of the electric sewing machine, with a particular focus in the years of dress between 1890 - 1914; all reconstruction work is done by hand or with the use of period authentic machinery.

In addition to rediscovering the methods by which clothes were made in the past, the Bernadette Banner YouTube channel seeks to explore how we in the 21st century can learn from and adopt historical sewing techniques and attitudes towards dress in an effort to fight the effects of fast fashion and mass manufacture.

After some years working on costume design teams for Broadway (Aladdin [Broadway, West End, International]; Annie [2012 Revival], Something Rotten! [Broadway]; Tuck Everlasting [Premiere]; Kinky Boots [National Tour]), Bernadette graduated from New York University in 2017 and began collaborating with the team at the School of Historical Dress on reconstruction and publication projects. She currently works as a YouTube content creator and research consultant in London and New York.

Bernadette Banner

Dress Historian & Filmmaker

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