Sarah M Oliver teaches costume technology and design at the University of Michigan. Previously she taught costume technology at UMKC, and was the Senior Lecturer of Costume Technology at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Mrs. Oliver has designed and built costumes in the United States for theatres coast to coast—from the Los Angeles Opera to the New York City Opera. She has built costumes for drama, film, dance, opera, and musical theatre productions for designers in South Africa, England, Spain, Hong Kong, Canada, China, and the Bahamas. Over the course of her career, Mrs. Oliver has worked in almost all levels of costuming—as a designer, assistant, maker, costume shop manager, wig maker, fabric dyer, wardrobe supervisor, and dresser.

While she has dedicated her professional career to designing, building, and teaching the art of costuming, Mrs. Oliver continues to indulge in her first love—the study of textiles and weaving. She has traveled and worked internationally in China, Hong Kong, and Japan where she immersed herself in traditional weaving, embroidery, and dyeing arts.