51st Annual National Symposium

Innovation: The Art, Craft, History, Technology, and Diaspora of Dress

June 1-5, 2025

Costume Society of America and the Western region are thrilled to announce that registration is now open for the 51st Annual Meeting and Symposium in the City of Angels, hosted on the beautiful Loyola Marymount University campus. 


This year's symposium, themed Innovation: The Art, Craft, History, Technology and Diaspora of Dress, offers exciting opportunities unique to Los Angeles. We're kicking things off with a shortened conference packed with engaging sessions and events. Enhance your experience with our pre- and post-symposium tours to renowned institutions like LACMA (behind-the-scenes look at their costume collection), Walt Disney Imagineering (exploring the artistry of character design), the Getty Center (focusing on textile arts), and the Asia Pacific Museum.


Our workshops offer valuable hands-on learning experiences, including a hands-on textile conservation workshop, how to teach costume history with VR, and insights into the world of costume unions. After Ruth E. Carter’s talk, our Academy Award winning keynote speaker, we'll have two more days of scholarship, research, and fun in the sun. Enjoy on-campus receptions, an exhibit showcasing student work, and a special display at the William H. Hannon Library. Our fundraiser is a not-to-be-missed Los Angeles experience at Sony Pictures Studio. The glamorous LA evening will include food by Wolfgang Puck and tours of prominent television soundstages like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.


Find your lodging, pack your bags, and get ready to connect with fellow costume enthusiasts! The palm trees and golden coast beckon!

On-line Registration is Now Closed!

On-site registration will be available. However, lunches and receptions will not be available to those who register at that time. For more information, email national.office@costumesocietyamerica.com.

Keynote Speaker: Ruth E. Carter

Costume Society of America is pleased to announce that celebrated Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter will give the keynote address at our 2025 Annual Meeting and Symposium in Los Angeles, California on Monday, June 2, 2025. Carter, a two-time Academy Award winner, is best known for turning the Black Panther superhero into an African King, Carter makes history as the first Black person to win the Costume Design category and earns Marvel Studios their first Oscar recognition. For BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER, Carter makes history, again, for her outstanding costume design work and becomes the first Black woman to win multiple Academy Awards in any category and the first costume designer to win for the first film and its sequel. 

 

Carter is beloved in her hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts and was given the key to the city for her achievements and service to the community (2021). She is a graduate of Hampton University, Virginia (HBCU) and most recently served as their commencement speaker and was given the distinction of honorary doctorate. She holds an additional honorary doctorate from Suffolk University, Massachusetts and is the most recent recipient of The Coolidge Award from The Coolidge in Boston.

 

Carter will deliver CSA’s 2025 keynote address be in person or by livestream, as her schedule permits.

  • Symposium Schedule

    A detailed schedule can be downloaded here.


    On Saturday, May 31, the Angels Project will take place at the Flight Path Museum (6661 W. Imperial Highway, Los Angeles, CA 90045, near LAX).  


    On Sunday, June 1, a pre-symposium tour will be offered, and we also have suggestions for things to do and see around town. The National Board of Directors will hold its first meeting session. That evening, symposium attendees are invited to a reception and viewing of an exhibition curated by students with objects from two different collections, including garments by Alexander McQueen, Issey Miyake, and Chanel, on the third floor in the Archives and Special Collections of the William H. Hannon Library at LMU. 


    The morning of Monday, June 2 will begin with professional development sessions and the Board’s second meeting session. Our awards ceremony and Ruth E. Carter’s keynote address will take place in the late morning, and Carter will also conduct a half-hour session just for students. During the provided lunch, the silent auction and marketplace will open. The first concurrent sessions will be held in the afternoon, after which we will hold the members-to-members and first-timers meet and greet. An evening reception will be hosted and sponsored by the Dean of LMU’s College of Communication & Fine Arts. 


    The marketplace and silent auction will be open again on Tuesday, June 3, with check-out for the silent auction taking place in the evening. Select, rare, and precious items will be curated by the symposium team to be included in the silent auction, while other items will be on cash & carry tables. Plenaries and two concurrent sessions will also happen on Tuesday, in addition to the Creative Works Exhibition and In-Progress Poster viewing and presentations. Lunch will be provided. A fundraiser event for CSA will be held that evening. 


    The morning of Wednesday, June 4 will begin with our annual meeting and town hall. Plenaries and the final concurrent session will be held, and lunch will be provided. After wrapping up in the late afternoon, the Board will hold its first meeting with the new leadership. 


    Post-symposium tours will be offered on Thursday, June 5. 

  • Symposium Location

    Our meeting venue is on the beautiful campus of Loyola Marymount University (1 Loyola Marymount University Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90045) in the light-filled University Hall. 

  • Lodging and Parking Information

    Lodging for the symposium will be do-it-yourself. You can search for hotel availability via aRes Travel.*  Also, LMU has longstanding relationships with a number of local hotels; you can learn about special rates the university has with several nearby by clicking here: https://admin.lmu.edu/auxbus/other/hotels/. 

     

    *aRes Travel is a third-party travel planner. Rates, deposits, and cancellation policies may vary and are the responsibility of the guest. Questions on hotel policies or payments made on aRes website should be directed to the aRes Reservation Center or to the hotel directly.


    PARKING INFORMATION

    • Parking on campus will be $15 per day (Saturdays and Sundays are free).

    • The visitor parking map can be downloaded here: https://lmu.app.box.com/s/s55udr1w1zhrhtxvq1p2528a3ic2inf2. 


  • Meal Information

    Lunch will be provided to registrants Monday through Wednesday. A shop with coffee and snacks will be open with items for purchase on Tuesday and Wednesday. Breakfast and dinner will be on your own every day. There are water refill stations in the building, so please be sure to bring your own reusable bottle!

  • Silent Auction and Cash & Carry Donations

    The deadline has passed for sending information and items for the Silent Auction. If you bring items to the symposium, we will place them in our Cash & Carry! You can bring  costume related books and magazines, wearable art, vintage treasures, lace, trims, jewelry, buttons, scarves and accessories, and other items of interest to CSA members. In general, these should fit into the new owner’s suitcase. 


    Questions? Contact coordinator Eileen Trestain!


    Many Thanks to our 2025 Symposium Sponsors

    Questions?

    Send an email

    symposium@costumesocietyamerica.com