PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Join The Shadows in welcoming Noel Corbin, whose work weaves together the worlds of fashion and history in fascinating ways as she explores how clothing has always told stories — reflecting the politics, culture, and everyday lives of the people who wore it.
This is a VIRTUAL ONLY program. To attend, register using the link below. The program is free to attend.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Noel Corbin is a Georgia native whose passion for costume design began at age 14 in community theater. She earned her undergraduate degree in Fashion Design from Georgia Southern University before moving to New York City, where she launched her career in women's denim and plus-size fashion. She went on to pursue her master's degree at New York University in the Visual Culture: Costume Studies program, during which she served as a contract research assistant for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture's Black Fashion Collection and co-curated her first fashion exhibition at the Weeksville Heritage Center and Museum in Brooklyn. After completing her graduate degree in 2017, Noel relocated to Los Angeles to work in costume design for film and television.
With more than 15 years of experience in fashion retail, design, and research, Noel has worked with companies including Vogue, ABC/Disney, Netflix, and Time Magazine. She specializes in period costume and dress research within Black communities. In 2024, she enrolled at the University of Georgia to pursue a PhD in Fashion with a focus on history and culture, where she has taught Apparel Studio Design and served as a teaching assistant for History of Dress, in addition to leading summer sewing workshops at the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History. Noel currently curates the GAM 2025 award-winning exhibition Live Lovely for Excellence: The Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club, mounted annually at the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History in Augusta, Georgia. Her newest exhibition, Fashioning the Timeless Bride: The Life and Career of Anne Barge, opens spring 2026 at UGA's Special Collections Library.