COSTUME DESIGN
With 25 years of experience in commercial fashion design and a specialisation in costume design, I know what it takes to translate a story into clothing that speaks. I know what it is like to have a vision and to be willing to work hard to make it happen.
Whether you are a director, producer or production company — finding the right costume designer is a great place to start. What can I do for your production?
I can:
- Organise a creative session in which we discuss in detail the visual world of your production — the era, the characters, the mood.
- Help you make your vision visual by creating a costume concept.
- Go over your ideas and add on from my point of view as an experienced designer.
- Create costume sketches and mood boards.
- Make technical drawings and costume specifications.
- Source fabrics, trimmings and materials.
- Advise on and source period-appropriate or character-specific clothing.
- Manage contact with costume makers and ateliers about the technical side of production.
- Comment on fittings and making sure garments have the correct fit and comfort.
- Experienced in leading and managing creative teams from my background in commercial fashion design, and eager to bring this skill set to the costume department on set.
- Manage and oversee the costume budget, making sure resources are allocated smartly without compromising the quality and integrity of the design.
The Little mermaid
A redesign of The Little Mermaid
Free project
The Disney animated film will always have my heart because it was the first film I saw in a cinema when I was six years old. I still love the way the underwater characters were written and the colorfulness of the film.
Colleen Atwood is one of my favourite costume designers and has been responsible for many of my favourite fantasy films, such as Edward Scissorhands, Big Fish, Alice in Wonderland and Fantastic Beasts. However, the live-action Disney version from a few years ago, also designed by Colleen Atwood, was a huge disappointment for me.
I looked up other costumes from this story and found that many other films were inspired by this fairytale.
For my version, I wanted to go darker (more in line with how the story was originally intended by Hans Christian Andersen). I want the mermaid to look more like a fish, with large, fish-like eyes. I found some amazing tropical fish that could work well as inspiration. I also don’t want her to have long human hair—it doesn’t make much sense underwater, as it would break and tangle into massive knots. Instead, I envision beautiful fins on top of her head that resemble hair.
I looked at fantasy water creatures such as the creature from The Shape of Water and Avatar. I also like the way the feminine characters in The Dark Crystal are styled, especially those big eyes. I would like the mermaid to look cut like that even though she would not look like a human.
I also explored her human appearance, which could be an homage to Andersen’s Danish background and time period. People wore beautiful folklore outfits back then. I made the colour palette blend into itself, adding black and white to make the look more subdued compared to the colourful sea-life setting. I think it would be nice if the human version of the mermaid had similarly coloured eyes and other subtle features that echo her fish-like form.
For her human design, I chose a headpiece with fabric that resembles the fins on top of her head. I imagine the mermaid found or stole this outfit when she became human. Looking at it now, I think it shouldn’t fit perfectly and should be worn slightly differently than how traditional Danish clothing would normally be styled.
What to expect?
As a person, I am easy to talk to and direct in my communication. I am friendly and like to have a laugh. I am passionate about costume design and the stories that clothing can tell — and I love talking about it.
Every production is unique, and so is every collaboration. Whether you are in the early stages of an idea or ready to get started, I would love to hear about your project.
Feel free to get in touch — let’s have a chat and see if we are the right match for each other!
Get in Touch
Would you like my expertise on your next project? I can help with creating fashionable concepts, innovatieve designs and advise on material usage.