Lydia May Hann
Lydia May Hann is a British costume designer, maker, artist and knitter living between Whitby, North Yorkshire, and Oslo, Norway. Her artistic practice examines the relationship between material, body and story placing costume at the centre. Lydia is drawn to creating costumes that embrace elements of nature and the site-specific, elevating the beauty of the temporary and spontaneous.
Lydia creates costumes and textile works that celebrate the mythological and folkloric as real powers in everyday life that can be brought alive through acts of making. Using the power of the sea as a crafting companion, Lydia creates textiles meant to be submerged and affected by the sea, the salt water baptising her costumes into life. Lydia prioritises locally found materials that can be trusted to decompose over time, the tragedy and beauty of mortality following through in her folkloric interests.
Lydia is an experienced wardrobe technician and costume maker, recently completing an MA in design at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts.
.I am currently available to discuss projects and knitwear commissions and collaborations for 2025
What can I do for you?
Knitwear- I offer bespoke design services for knitted garments and fabrics. A custom knit garment can make a statement on stage, screen or on the street. I prioritise yarn from traceable supply chains and second hand sources that reduce waste and harm to the ecosystem.
Costume design and making - I design and make costumes for theatre, opera, film and tv. I prioritise projects that are open to meeting the challenges of a sustainable approach to costuming and appreciate the value of costume in story telling. I trained in historical costume making for theatre and film at the Northern College of Costume and am open to discussing your historically accurate or historically inspired projects
Workshops - I offer workshops in wet and needle felting to educate about raw wool as an undervalued resource.
Performance collaboration - I am open to discuss collaborations with artists who would like to use my costumes as part of a performance.