About Us

The people behind the work

WhiteStar Costume & Props is powered by a permanent, UK-based studio team of highly skilled makers working year-round. They are the foundation of the business, and everything we do is only possible because of their talent, dedication, and care. Collectively, the team brings more than 100 years of experience across costume, prop-making, tailoring, surface decoration, and technical fabrication.

We believe great costume makers can come from all kinds of backgrounds. Formal training and degrees can be valuable, but what matters most to us is technical skill, curiosity, creativity, and a real passion for the craft. We are committed to building and developing talent, continually training and upskilling our team so they grow not just as machinists or makers, but as confident, rounded creative problem-solvers.

That investment in people is a core part of who we are. It allows us to maintain a studio culture that is collaborative, ambitious, and deeply craft-led, while ensuring every project benefits from a team that is adaptable, inventive, and genuinely invested in the final result.

WhiteStar Costume & Props is a London-based studio working across theatre, film, television, live events and commercial production. We specialise in bespoke, production-ready costume and prop work, supporting designers and production teams from early creative development through to final delivery.

Our studio is built around collaboration, technical rigour and craft. We work closely with our clients to translate creative ideas into practical, buildable solutions, balancing visual ambition with the realities of performance, durability, safety and schedule. Whether we are working from supplied designs or developing concepts in-house, our role is always to support the wider production with clarity, reliability and creative problem-solving.


A group of ten young adults posing together in a bar or club, some holding drinks, smiling and enjoying the moment. The collaborative Whitestar costume making team enjoying their Christmas night out.

WhiteStar Leadership

Tom Silverwood founded WhiteStar Costume after beginning his career as a maker in 2008, driven by a love of craft and a desire to build something lasting. He leads the studio with a calm, collaborative approach and a deep understanding of how creative ideas become real working costumes. Tom is proud to have created a permanent, UK-based studio that actively supports and develops talent, building the kind of environment he believes helps makers do their best work and grow with confidence. 

The day-to-day running of the studio and our creative pattern cutting is led by Lottie Smith, WhiteStar’s Assistant Cutter and Studio Manager. Since entering the industry in 2017, Lottie has trained and worked across a number of London costume studios, building strong technical experience and a clear understanding of how high-functioning workrooms operate.

Lottie oversees project preparation, pattern cutting, studio workflow, and team management, helping to keep both the creative and practical sides of the studio running smoothly. Alongside their technical skill and professionalism, they bring a calm, kind, and people-focused approach that helps make WhiteStar a supportive and collaborative place to work.


Two people smiling at the camera in front of a backdrop with 'The Hunger Games On Stage' logo, dressed in stylish, formal clothing. Custom outfits made by ourselves at whitestar costume, attending the gala night premiere of the hunger games on stage.

AI Policy

At WhiteStar, we recognise the growing role of AI as a creative and visual tool within the modern design landscape. It can be a useful way to communicate mood, silhouette, colour, atmosphere, or early visual direction.

However, our design work is never generated by AI.

Every costume we create is developed through human-led design, technical expertise, craftsmanship, and collaboration. We do not use AI to replace the creative process, generate final designs, or substitute the originality and problem-solving required to create bespoke costume for TV, theatre, and film.

That said, we are happy for clients to bring AI-generated imagery into the conversation as a reference point or source of inspiration. These visuals can be a helpful starting place when discussing ideas, aesthetic direction, or world-building. From there, we translate that inspiration into something original, practical, production-ready, and tailored specifically to the needs of the performer, character, script, and screen or stage.

In short: AI can help begin the conversation, but the artistry, design thinking, and making are all done by us.