Costume Designer Tailors MFA Experience via CMU’s Stellar Program

Among the exceptional students who have graced Carnegie Mellon University's costume design program, Zhang Yu stands out. When Yu arrived at CMU's School of Drama , the award-winning designer brought a decade of work with him, along with a bachelor's degree in fashion design and engineering from Shanghai University of Engineering Science and a master of fine arts degree and Ph.D. in theater and Chinese traditional opera from Shanghai Theatre Academy. "Costume Design is not only my career but also the way for me to understand the world and to communicate with it," Yu said. "After working as a costume designer for years, the desire to learn about different cultures and how people understand and create theater in other places became stronger and stronger to me." Recognized as one of the world's best costume design programs , CMU allowed Yu to customize his experience to meet his particular interests. For example, the kinetic fabrics class, which combines design, craftwork and mechanical engineering, pushed his boundaries and enriched his skillset. At CMU, Yu designed the costumes for productions within the School of Drama as well as the School of Music.