✺ Bay Wardrobe Collective’s Mission ✺
To empower and unite costume and wardrobe professionals in the Bay Area, fostering a collaborative community dedicated to excellence, continuous education, and the advancement of our craft.
Our Origins:
Bay Wardrobe Collective started as a recurring conversation - in green rooms, parking lots, and group chats. The same wishes, every time: real community in an isolating industry, education that actually applies to our work, and the visibility and respect we've always deserved.
So we stopped wishing and built it ourselves.
We created the professional development curriculum we wish we'd had. We built the spaces for connection that had been slowly forming for years. Because when you don't feel alone, you take risks. And if you fall, you fall into a net of people who will catch you.
The dream is simple: members who do their best work, advocate fiercely for themselves and each other, and build the professional lives they actually want. And if along the way we change this industry for the better - we'd be thrilled.
✺ Our Vision ✺
We envision a thriving, sustainable industry where costume and wardrobe professionals are supported through artist-driven professional development, meaningful networking, and impactful community outreach, creating a legacy of growth, inclusivity, and innovation.
Our values are core to everything we do
We are here to uplift one another, not compete. We are all stronger when we work together.
Respect for the artistry, for the people we’re in collaboration with, and for the job itself.
All are welcome here, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, or anything else.
Information, skills, and opportunities should be shared generously.
Safety is the most important thing! You are a person before you are a costumer, and your health and wellbeing come first.
✺ Our Bay Area Roots ✺
The spirit of the Bay Area drives everything we do at Bay Wardrobe Collective. The region’s history of artistic innovation, resistance to standardization, and its culture of mutual aid and support is deeply ingrained in our DNA.
The Bay Area has long been a place where creativity and collaboration intersect, and we’re proud to be a part of that legacy.
What we offer:
Networking & Community
Costuming can be isolating. We're changing that. Through monthly in-person gatherings and a buzzing Slack community, BWC members stay connected, share opportunities, lift each other up, and occasionally help each other find their next gig.
Workshops & Professional Development
Learning never stops. Our monthly workshops are taught by working professionals and cover everything from technical skills like draping, aging, or alterations - to career essentials like rate negotiation and union questions. All levels welcome.
Member Directory
Find and be found. Browse the BWC member directory to discover collaborators, specialists, and colleagues across the Bay Area. Need an ager/dyer for a film shoot? Looking for a costume supervisor with opera experience? Start here.
Who We Are
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Madeline Berger
FOUNDER & CO-DIRECTOR
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Ellie Rudner
CO-DIRECTOR
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Maggie Witacker
EDUCATION DIRECTOR
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Ashely Renee
PROGRAMS DIRECTOR
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Phoenix Alexandria
EVENTS MANAGER
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The Board
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
HEAR IT FROM OUR MEMBERS
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“In an industry where many artists work independently, BWC stands out as a supportive, collaborative community and I am so happy to be apart of it .”
Lynda Hornada, Member since 2022
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"The community and support that being a part of Bay Wardrobe has brought me has lifted my heart, my work, and my very core as an artist. I wouldn't give that up for anything."
Lyre Alston, Member since 2023
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"Being part of the Board of Bay Wardrobe Collective has given me the opportunity to engage with the Bay Area creative community through education, sustainability, and meaningful connection. "
Mariana Castro, Member since 2020