Northern designers and fashionistas can look forward to an entertaining and informative evening as internationally acclaimed designer and art director Simon Costin returns to the stage at Cleveland College of Art and Design (CCAD) later this month to talk about his career working with designers and clients such as Alexander McQueen, Hermès, Swarovski and Tiffany.

As part of the college’s season of evening talks and networking events – which are open to the public – Simon will visit the specialist north east art and design college on Tuesday 24 April to share his career highlights.

From assisting film-maker and painter Derek Jarman through to his work with Givenchy, Philipp Plein, Erdem and many others, Simon said: “I’m delighted to have been asked back to speak at CCAD and look forward to sharing some of my stories from the industry”.

At the college’s university-level campus in Hartlepool, Simon will reveal the process behind his elaborate sets for leading international designers and fashion houses, as well as his more recent projects as director of the Museum of British Folklore and the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic.

Having studied Theatre Design and History of Art at Wimbledon School of Art, Simon has worked as an internationally respected art director and more recently, curator. His artwork has been displayed in many exhibitions, at venues as diverse as a forest in Argyll, the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In 2016 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from UAL for his unique contribution to art and design.

As part of the event, which runs from 6pm until 8pm in the lecture theatre at the college in Church Square, guests can enjoy a buffet with refreshments and an opportunity to network prior to Simon’s guest lecture. With a limited number of spaces, bookings for this free event are advised as soon as possible to ensure availability and can be made at https://hartlepool.ccad.ac.uk/public-events/

Pat Chapman, Vice Principal (Employability & Enterprise) at CCAD, said: “Simon’s work as a set designer brings the creativity of art installation to editorial and fashion shows alike. He is renowned for the ambitious nature of his designs and his event and exhibition conceptualising, and we are very excited he is paying a return visit to CCAD and to the north east.

“In addition to his work as an internationally famous art director Simon has a fascination for folklore and witchcraft – you may have seen him recently on a BBC documentary that accompanied the British Library’s exhibition ‘Harry Potter – A History of Witchcraft’.  So Simon will also be talking about the lasting legacy of imagery derived from our spooky past. Tickets are moving very fast so we encourage anyone interested to book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.”