Design professor Rushing Haise refuses to settle for just one creative medium. Haise teaches graphic and interactive design but has found another passion in costume design.
The multimedia designer experiments with textiles and unconventional materials to create elaborate, avant-garde costumes.
“I’ve always been a creator, I’ve always made stuff, and I’m a serial hobbyist. I pick up so many different things because I get bored with one thing, and I’m like, ‘What else can I learn?'” Haise said.
Haise said he initially never saw himself as a fashion person, but his constant desire to learn led him to costume a few years ago. Since then, his creations have evolved from simple pieces to ambitious costumes inspired by elements such as metallic fringe, dragonflies, and even video game characters.
Haise credits his gradual learning journey to “YouTube University” and personal influences. Haise’s inspirations include his grandmothers, who sewed and crocheted, as well as his friend and colleague Lisa McKinley, a design faculty member, who uses textiles in her art. The supportive influence of his husband, Jorge, has also been pivotal. Jorge often conceptualizes costume ideas that Haise then brings to life through his crafting skills.
With his background in design, Haise finds joy in transforming specific materials into intricate pieces. He often experiments with craft foam to mimic leather or metal, blending DIY techniques with traditional sewing methods. Hot glue and hand-stitching were essential parts of his process before upgrading to sewing machines.
“It’s whatever gets the job done,” Haise laughed.
He recently acquired a vintage 1950s Singer machine, which Haise called a “beautiful piece of machinery.” The machine has helped him bring more complex ideas to life and added longevity to his costume wear, he said.
Haise often debuts his costumes at New Orleans’ Mardi Gras. His most iconic pieces include a tinsel costume created as part of a group theme and a recent design inspired by insects. For Mardi Gras 2024, Haise and Jorge went as an insect duo—Jorge as a butterfly and Haise as an iris covered in dragonflies, donning a Victorian-inspired outfit with dragonfly elements and a giant bug headpiece. This costume, he explains, emerged from his fascination with dragonflies, often seen fluttering around the couple’s lush and plant-filled yard.
New Orleans has been a driving force behind Haise’s creations, inspiring him to push the boundaries of costume design. He said his love for the city’s vibrant culture and Mardi Gras, in particular, fuels his ideas with its blend of polished, handmade, and eccentric costumes.
“You see so many people who’ve been creating for decades,” Haise said, describing the inventive energy of the Saint Anne parade, where makers proudly display their works.
Haise said the experience is as much about creation as a community, especially in New Orleans, with costumes as varied as the people who wear them.
Haise sees no end to his “serial hobbyist” spirit. This spirit, he explained, is about constantly seeking new challenges and seizing everything as a learning opportunity. In Haise’s hands, everyday materials like fringe, craft foam, and fabric transform into much more, forming costumes that celebrate the limitless potential of imagination.
“I’m always approaching a new thing, which keeps me entertained and engaged in thinking,” Haise said. “That’s something that I love about this craft.”
