Bernadette Banner

Bernadette Banner
Born1994 or 1995 (age 31–32)
EducationNew York University
OccupationYouTuber
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2018-present
Subscribers1.96 million
Views176 million
Last updated: 30 August 2026
Websitehttps://bernadettebanner.co.uk/

Bernadette Banner (born 1994 or 1995) is an American YouTuber and author currently based in London.

Education and previous career

Banner studied in the Production and Design Studio at Tisch School of the Arts. Prior to graduation, she briefly worked as a costume assistant for Broadway, as well as for a parody preview video of the Broadway musical Frozen. After that, she did an internship for Tony Award-winning costume designer Jenny Tiramani at the School of Historical Dress in London.

Content

Banner began her YouTube channel on garment construction in 2018. She is known for her interest in and promotion of historical dress reconstruction and study of a range of historical fashion periods from the early Medieval era to World War I, with a primary focus on the Victorian and Edwardian eras. She has focused on the lack of quality in modern fast fashion. She is also known for sewing in Original Practice, the art of crafting clothes using historically informed methods and materials.

A significant area investigated by Banner has been the accuracy in reproductions of historical clothing, for example in films like Little Women (2019) and Beauty and the Beast (2017). In addition, she has also been featured by Glamour as commentary for an analysis of Mary Poppins' dressing.

On fast fashion

On her channel, Banner often highlights the fast fashion industry's environmental impacts and poor labor practices as a reason to avoid the industry. As an alternative, she suggests "slow fashion" — a limited-size wardrobe of durable garments which can be mended by hand as needed. In 2019, a 15th-century-inspired gown Banner made was poorly copied and sold by an online merchant using Banner's photo in the sales listing. Banner bought the dress and made a public video in which she criticized its poor construction.

Writings

In 2022, she authored a non-fiction book, Make, Sew and Mend, published by Page Street Publishing. It was a BookScan trade paperback bestseller for the third week of May 2022.

Personal life

Banner is based in London. In September 2025 she publicly referred to her wife in an Instagram post that also included the hashtag #gayapproved. She also mentioned her wife in a March 2026 YouTube video while making flower crowns inspired by Victorian Art Nouveau and Florence + the Machine.

References

  1. 1 2 Hyde, Jen (3 January 2020). "Learning Mindfulness From the Art of Victorian Dressmaking". Hyperallergic. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  2. 1 2 Gioia, Michael (8 December 2014). "Morgan James, Taylor Louderman, Derek Klena 'Preview' Disney's Low-Budget, Broadway-Bound 'Frozen' Sequel (Video)". Playbill. Archived from the original on 1 August 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  3. ↑ "TISCH DRAMA ALUMNA BERNADETTE BANNER CREATES ONLINE BUSINESS STUDYING HISTORICAL DRESS". Tisch. 27 February 2020. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  4. ↑ Opdahl, Sarah (Fall 2022). "Bernadette Banner, Dress Historian". Threads. No. 219. pp. 74–75.
  5. ↑ Ellis, Emma Grey (25 June 2019). "Spiff Up Your Real-World Skills With Old-Timey YouTube". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  6. ↑ "Tisch Drama Alumna Bernadette Banner Creates Online Business Studying Historical Dress". New York University. 27 February 2020. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  7. ↑ Meiling, Brittany (31 January 2020). "Home-sewn clothes are making a comeback. But is it too late for dying fabric stores?". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  8. ↑ Timberlake, Howard (2 December 2019). The ancient skill that could make you money. BBC Reel (Video feature). Partially narrated by Bernadette Banner. BBC. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  9. ↑ Mason, Jessica (2 October 2020). "YouTuber Breaks Down Five Movies That Nailed Their Historical Costumes". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on 4 November 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  10. ↑ "Fashion Expert Fact Checks Mary Poppins' Wardrobe | Glamour - YouTube". www.youtube.com. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  11. ↑ Winegarner, Beth (5 May 2021). "Historical Clothing's Comeback". The Craftsmanship Initiative. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021. Banner is one of the most outspoken opponents of fast fashion, partly because of the industry's destructive effects on the environment, and partly because of its unethical labor practices. For an alternative, she encourages what is often called "slow fashion"—making durable clothes by hand, and mending or repurposing items when they begin to fall apart.
  12. ↑ "Bernadette Banner on Instagram: "Part II of the video diary detailing my (Original Practice!) making process for this c. 1450 gown is now live! Check the link in my bio to…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  13. ↑ Ellis, Emma Grey (21 February 2020). "Companies Are Stealing Influencers' Faces". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  14. ↑ Banner, Bernadette (2022). Make, sew and mend : traditional techniques to sustainably maintain and refashion your clothes. Page Street Publishing. ISBN 978-1-64567-487-0. OCLC 1317845467.
  15. ↑ Service, Tribune News. "This week's bestsellers". NNY360. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  16. ↑ "Bernadette Banner on Instagram". Instagram. 13 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2026. My wife always laughs at me for showing up to visit her, whenever she's working overseas, with just a tote bag. ... #gayapproved
  17. ↑ Banner, Bernadette (7 March 2026). How to Make a Flower Crown Inspired by Victorian Art Nouveau (YouTube video). Bernadette Banner. Retrieved 19 September 2026. Anyway, my wife loves Florence and the Machine...