About
Dr. Veronica Isaac is a Senior Lecturer in Fashion and Design History at the University of Brighton’s School of Humanities. She holds a PhD from the University of Brighton (2016), focusing on Ellen Terry’s theatrical wardrobe, and has contributed to museum collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Her research bridges Dress History, Theatre History, and Material Culture, specializing in 19th to early 20th century theatre costumes as cultural artifacts. Isaac leads the MA in Costume at Wimbledon School of Art and collaborates on projects such as the AHRC-funded 'Constructing Costume Histories.' Her work emphasizes costumes’ role in conveying social values and personal identity, with recent focus on Ellen Terry’s wardrobe and collaborative costume reconstruction practices.
Education: PhD (University of Brighton, 2016), MA Museum and Gallery Studies (University of Southampton, 2009), BA English Literature and History (University of York, 2007).
Research Interests: Interdisciplinary costume studies, historic theatre costume analysis, material culture, gender representation in dress, and cultural heritage preservation. Current projects include a sartorial biography of Ellen Terry and AHRC-funded investigations into British costume-making heritage. She supervises doctoral work on performance costume, textile history, and dress identity.
Professional Activities: Course Leader for MA Fashion Curation at University of the Arts London, lecturer at New York University, and curator/consultant for museum projects. Recent activities include workshops on 'Redressing Histories' and 'Making Historical Dress.' Her research outputs span articles, conference papers, and editorial work in journals like Volupté.
Grants: AHRC-funded collaboration with Royal Opera House and others. Advising: Open to doctoral supervision in costume history, material culture, and textile studies.
Labs/Teams: Co-leads the AHRC project 'Constructing Costume Histories' with Dr. Jade Halbert, linking academic research with cultural institutions like the Royal Opera House and Cosprop Film Costumiers.
