Costumers of Color, Inc. is a Nonprofit Corporation (WA UBI 605312738). Our purpose is to benefit the public by providing historical education, costuming education, history-focused events, educational travel opportunities, and educational historical costuming activities that promote the inclusion and belonging of people of color with a focus on the history of people of color in the pre-21st Century period.
Meet our Board of Directors:
Amber Abdel-Rahman
Director Abdel-Rahman is a retired forensic psychologist, Egyptologist, avid history buff, costumer, mother, and wife.
Gigi Coulson
Director Coulson serves as the President and Executive Director. She is a retired environmental sociologist, author, living historian, researcher, and traveler.
Nina Perard
Director Perard is the Diversity Coordinator for a large state agency. She has been leading the DEIB program since 2014, with an emphasis on culturally and linguistically appropriate psychiatric care.
Jessica Van Hattem
Director Van Hattem served as the first corporate DEI Officer for SCA, Inc. and continues to educate within the DEIB community. Professionally, Jessica’s background is in technical writing specializing in procedural and policy documentation.
Advisory Board
Kennedy McDuffie
SoulaaniSeamstress is a TikTok creator with a community of nearly 70,000 followers, where she shares educational content about historical costume along with real-time updates on her sewing projects. She primarily focuses on 18th-century fashion, but has recently expanded into Victorian and medieval styles, continuing to grow her skills and explore new areas of historical dress. With a background in Theatre Costume Design, she developed a deep appreciation for how clothing can tell stories and reveal so much about the people and cultures of the past.
About our Executive Director
Gigi Coulson is a sociologist with a Master’s degree specializing in sociocultural anthropology, with focused expertise in historical dress, apothecaries, daily life, literature, games, and cosmetics. For over fifteen years, she has conducted sustained archival research on the women of Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, and the Veneto, working in regional archives, libraries, and museums to better understand the lived realities of medieval and Renaissance women.
Her scholarship includes a published translation of 15th-century cosmetic and medicinal recipes authored by Caterina Sforza, as well as presentations of original research at the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo as well as IMC Leeds. She has participated in exclusive 14th-century historical reenactments in Italy, integrating embodied practice with documentary study to deepen her understanding of material culture.
Grounded in long-term research, she approaches history with humility, rigor, and deep respect for regional identity and cultural continuity. She serves as a cultural bridge between American historical costumers and European scholars, institutions, and heritage sites; offering thoughtfully curated educational journeys that center accuracy, context, and cross-cultural understanding.
Through her work with Costumers of Color, she is committed to expanding access to cultural heritage while honoring the communities who safeguard it.
For Costumers of Color, she oversees the full scope of organizational operations, including program development, financial management, international educational travel, content strategy, and community engagement, ensuring the delivery of high-impact educational initiatives.
Costumers of Color 