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The David C. Copley Center for the Study of Costume Design

The nexus for the global art of theater, film and television costume design.

“Through innovative research and a robust program of conferences, exhibitions and events, the Copley Center serves the UCLA community, international fashion and film historians, professional practitioners and filmmakers.”

— Founding Director Deborah Nadoolman Landis, Ph.D.

The David C. Copley Center is the world’s first university center devoted to the history, theory, and practice of costume design for theater, film and television. Annual events include, master classes, symposia, exhibitions, conferences, panels and publishing.

Endowed in 2009 by a gift from newspaper publisher and philanthropist David C. Cop­ley, with Oscar-nominated costume designer, historian, and Distinguished Professor Deborah Nadoolman Landis as founding director, the David C. Copley Center for the Study of Costume Design is the first institution of its kind in the world.

The Copley Center serves UCLA TFT students, the university, and the international community of historians, scholars, filmmakers and professional costume designers. The Center provides a home for the study of costume design history, genre research, costume illustration as an art form, and the influence of costume design and costume designers on fashion and international popular culture.

Leadership and Staff

Deborah Nadoolman Landis
Director and Distinguished Professor
Natasha Rubin
Director of Research
(310) 825-2184
nrubin@tft.ucla.edu