The

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...

for Best Costume Design is an annual award presented by the

Society of London Theatre The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) is an umbrella organisation for West End theatre in London. Founded in 1908, as Society of West End Theatre Managers, then Society of West End Theatre in 1975, changing to its current name in 1994, the (SOLT) ...

in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of

West End Theatre West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1 ...

Awards in 1976, and renamed in 1984 in honour of English actor and director

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

. This award was introduced in 1991. There had been an award for Designer of the Year from 1976 to 1990, originally focused on

set designers Set, The Set, SET or SETS may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Mathematics *Set (mathematics), a collection of elements *Category of sets, the category whose objects and morphisms are sets and total functions, respectively Electro ...

but including an increasing number of commingled nominations for other design specialties through the years. The commingled single award was retired after the 1990 ceremony, with more granular awards introduced in 1991 for Best Set Design and Best Lighting Design, along with this Best Costume Design award.

Winners and nominees

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Multiple awards and nominations for Best Costume Design

Awards

;Two awards *

Alison Chitty Alison Chitty (born 16 October 1948) is an Olivier Award winning production designer and set and costume designer, known for her collaborations with Mike Leigh, Francesca Zambello, Peter Gill and Sir Peter Hall. She is also the Director of the Mo ...

Deirdre Clancy Deirdre Clancy (born 31 March 1943) is a British costume designer. She has won the Olivier Award for Best Costume Design twice. She also won the BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design for ''Mrs. Brown''. She started working in the London theatre in ...

* William Dudley * Tim Goodchild *

Christopher Oram Christopher Oram is a British theatre set and costume designer. Background He trained at the West Sussex College of Art and Design (latterly Northbrook College). Early assisting work for designers Anthony Ward and Ian MacNeil, included ''A ...

*Mark Thompson *Vicki Mortimer

Nominations

;Six nominations *

Rob Howell Robert Stuart Howell is a British costume and set designer. He is primarily known for his work on the London stage. Howell won the Olivier Award for his set design for the musical ''Matilda the Musical'' in 2012. He has also designed both scenery ...

*Christopher Oram ;Five nominations *

Bob Crowley Bob Crowley (born 10 June 1952) is a theatre designer (scenic and costume), and theatre director. He lives between London, New York and West Cork in the south west of Ireland. Career Born in Cork, Ireland on 10 June 1952, Bob Crowley is the ...

*Mark Thompson * Anthony Ward ;Four nominations *

Gregg Barnes Gregg Barnes is an American costume designer for stage and film. Barnes is a two-time winner of the Tony Award for Best Costume Design in a Musical for his work on the Broadway productions of ''The Drowsy Chaperone'' (2006) and ''Follies'' (2011). ...

*William Dudley *Hugh Durrant ;Three nominations *Deirdre Clancy *

Nicky Gillibrand Nicky Gillibrand is a theatrical costume designer who was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Costume Design for ''Billy Elliot the Musical''. She won the Gold Medal for Costume Design at the 2003 Prague Quadrenale for the Royal Shakespeare Com ...

*Robert Jones *

William Ivey Long William Ivey Long (born August 30, 1947) is an American costume designer for stage and film. His most notable work includes the Broadway shows '' The Producers'', ''Hairspray'', ''Nine'', '' Crazy for You'', ''Grey Gardens'', ''Young Frankenstein' ...

Catherine Zuber Catherine Zuber is a costume designer for the Broadway theater and opera, among other venues. She is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, and has been referred to as "one of theater's most sought-after costume designers on both coasts."Hefflet, ...

;Two nominations *

Sue Blane Susan Margaret Blane, (born 23 April 1949) is an English costume designer. She is best known for her costume designs for both ''The Rocky Horror Show'' and ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show''. With her designs for ''Rocky Horror'', Blane is credi ...

*Alison Chitty *Tim Goodchild *

Tim Hatley Tim Hatley is a British set and costume designer for theater and film. He is the winner of the Tony Award for Best Set Design and Best Costume Design, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Des ...

* Roger Kirk *

Peter McKintosh Peter McKintosh is a British theatre set and costume designer. Background He obtained a degree in Theatre Studies at the University of Warwick and then trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. His work as an assistant to Mark Thompso ...

*Jon Morrell *Vicki Mortimer *

Martin Pakledinaz Martin Pakledinaz (September 1, 1953 – July 8, 2012) was an American costume designer for stage and film. He won his Tony Awards for designing the costumes for ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' and the 2000 revival of ''Kiss Me, Kate'', which a ...

Paul Tazewell Paul Tazewell is an American costume designer for the theatre, dance, and opera and television. He received the 2016 Tony Award for Best Costume Design for ''Hamilton''. In 2016, he and his design team were awarded an Emmy for their work on ''The ...

Jenny Tiramani Jennifer Jane Tiramani (born 16 August 1954) is a British costume, stage and production designer. Since 2012 she has been principal of the School of Historical Dress in London. Early life Tiramani was born on 16 August 1954, the daughter of Fred ...

References

External links

* {{OlivierAward CostumeDesign

Costume Design Costume design is the creation of clothing for the overall appearance of a character or performer. Costume may refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a class, or a period. In many cases, it may contribute to the fullness of the arti ...

Costume design awards