Cobbie Yates

(He/Him)

Cobbie’s breakthrough project is the feature film Layla.

Co-creating a film club celebrating seminal Black cinema proved to be a turning point for Cobbie Yates. The industry connections he made through the club, coupled with his passion for fashion and filmmaking, set him on a path to becoming one of the UK’s most exciting new costume designers. One such connection was director Shola Amoo, who signed Cobbie up to costume his debut feature, A Moving Image (2016), produced by Rienkje Attoh. He’s not looked back since, working across film and TV on the likes of Pirates (2021), The Silent Twins (2022), Without Sin (2022, ITV), Queenie (2024, Channel 4) and the forthcoming directorial debut for Harris Dickinson – Dream Space, Anthony Wonkes’ debut narrative feature In the Shadows (Altitude Films) as well as Missing You (Netflix).

Cobbie’s supportive mother helped foster his approach to storytelling, with his work reflecting a passion for culture, emotion, colour theory and dissecting identity. All of which he demonstrates in his wonderful creations for the film Layla (2024, BFI/Film Four), which juxtaposes the mundanity of everyday wear with the vibrant, flamboyant expressions of London’s drag scene.

In their own words…

“I’m very happy to be the first Black male costume designer to be a [BAFTA Breakthrough]. How can we expect stories to be diverse, not just in colour but also perception and point of view, if those stories only come from one direction? It’s really important that we diversify that. With Breakthrough, I feel I’m closer to that conversation and might have a part to play in changing it… I was exposed to such a melting pot of a community [growing up] in South-East London, it taught me to be inquisitive and look at and reflect on the world in the most natural way, the way that I see when I go outside. I want to continue to do that with my work.”