Emma Eisenmann

About

I’m a costumer who cares as much about the experience a garment creates as the seams that hold it together.

I trained at CalArts, earning a BFA in Experience Design & Production: Costumes — a degree that grounds me in the craft of the shop while keeping me attentive to the story a costume tells the audience. Across theater, dance, and film, I work in machine and hand sewing, pattern drafting, and the full range of standard costuming equipment.

An alterations specialist by trade and an active part of the dress-history community, I’m at home in period construction techniques, silhouettes, and historic fabrics from the pre-Roman era to the present day — and deeply committed to making fittings a comfortable, affirming experience for everyone in the room.

01

Till We Have Faces

Taproot Theatre  ·  Stitcher

On a small team and a short clock, I helped build more than forty historic-inspired costumes from scratch — crafting false leather armor, sewing specialty trims and appliqués, and altering and making headwear to complete the world of the show.

February 2026

02

The Sleeping Beauty

Pacific Northwest Ballet  ·  Costumer

Across several months with a large costume team, I built garments from scratch to pattern, drew on hand-sewing, pattern-making and shoemaking skills, and altered existing pieces — practicing the long-term planning a full-scale ballet demands.

November 2024 – January 2025

03

In Bad Faith

CalArts Blackbox  ·  Director & Designer

I wrote, developed, and produced an interactive theatrical experience — designing and constructing custom garments, drafting patterns where needed, directing a team of twenty, and managing the wardrobe, cleaning and repair throughout the run.

2022 – 2023