Polly Simon
Costume Designer
Polly Simon is a graduate of MA Costume for Performance at London College of Fashion, creating affective work that extends beyond traditional theatrical contexts.
Polly returned to higher education to develop her career as a designer and expand her conceptual approach, after years making costume for the events industry with clients ranging from cabaret acts, circus performers and drag queens to The Unfairground at Glastonbury Festival, and children’s theatrical events company The Bakehouse Factory. She is motivated by a belief in the importance of the shared experience of live performance and is interested in the democratisation of established theatrical mediums, making the artform accessible to all.
Polly's practice centres on the ability of costume as a language to communicate ideas, provoke dialogue and engage audiences on a visceral level. Through materiality, movement, and embodied presence, she treats costume not just as adornment but as an active agent reflecting the human experience and inviting emotional connection.
Polly has recently been awarded an Arts Council England, National Lottery Project Grant, to develop her practice that sits at the intersection of art, performance, and design.
For Mahogany Opera: Ecstasy of the Virtues
