The Art of Costuming Interview with Lauren Miller. Vibrant costume designer, clothing characters from sketches to attire.

It wasn’t long ago that I re-watched Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella with my daughter on an idle weekend, admiring Cinderella’s beautiful dream blue dress during the ball scene. How much fabric did they use? Was it made of satin? Were the butterflies real? These were all questions my daughter and I kept asking ourselves. And before I knew it, I was due to meet and interview the established and talented costume designer, Lauren Miller. 

As my first-time meeting with Lauren approached, I prepared my notes and thought about the process from script to costume – and the magic of it all. She entered the cafe, and there she was: a tall and confident woman striding towards me, greeting me with a beautiful smile. Nice to meet you, Lauren. 

What is your background?

After completing my BA in Fashion and Textile Design, I started working as an intern for brands like Ted Baker. They then offered me a job and I went on to do Visual Merchandising for Accessorize, learning the ropes of fashion and design. It wasn’t till long after that I decided to leap into the freelancing world. At the beginning I had reservations, as I was new to the industry and didn’t know anyone. I knew I wanted to become a Costume Designer, but I barely had any work. So, I stared working on very small budget productions and projects – mainly short films. It’s thanks to working on those projects that I learnt my craft.

What made you choose to become a Costume Designer? 

I had an interest in fashion and clothes from a young age, but watching Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands confirmed my ambition. My mother always nurtured my artistic side, and I later discovered that both of my parents were very creative, including my father who was briefly a tailor.

I am assuming you are a Tim Burton fan? 

Yes. I am a huge admirer of Colleen Atwood, who is Tim Burton’s Costume Designer. Her work is simply superb – inspirational under all fronts. We both share similar paths in life, like having a child at a very young age and yet continuing to pursue this career without giving up. 

Are there any women costume designers that have inspired you? 

There are so many that I love and admire. Starting from Colleen Atwood, my Costume Designer crush, but also Sandy Powell and her incredible use of colours – she has worked on Cinderella, Shakespeare in Love, Carol and The Wolf of Wall Street. I also love Eiko Ishioka, who unfortunately passed away few years back. She worked on Mirror Mirror: The Untold Adventure of Snow White, The Cell and many more. And, of course, Marie Antoinette’s costume designer, Milena Canonero. They are all such incredible designers and I hold great respect for their work. 

So, what is the process of Costume Designing?

I guess everyone has their own process and it’s never the same for two people. It also changes from project to project. That’s what I like about this job – I get to explore and tap into my creativity. As a costume designer, my job is essential in helping actors fully realise their characters. I start by reading the script, looking at the mood-board and getting an understanding for the characters and story. I might do some research on the styles or time periods, combined with my knowledge of fabrics and construction, and then will do some sketches of costumes and think about colour palettes. I always start with this flow of ideas, and take it from there. 

What is the greatest challenge in making a costume? 

Costumes need to have a visual but also practical purpose. It’s important for actors to be as comfortable as possible, so I try to keep the practicality of the costume in mind. Aiding the actors to fully realise their characters is the key goal. One of the first projects I worked on was Smog, directed by Rafe Gibbons. It was a fantasy adventure short-film set in London, where a cloud of smog was blocking the sun out, and a schoolgirl teams up with her grandfather to form a plan to remove the smog and save the city. This was one of my first experiences of using colour strongly in the construction of the costume, and I learned a lot from the experience. 

What is the latest project you have worked on? 

I’ve just finished wrapping my first TV Series as Costumer Designer, called The Athena, with SKY. It’s a tween drama with 26 episodes, that follows the journey of Nyela Malik (Ella Balinska), a young model whose career implodes when she dares to complain about a famous designer who treats her like an object. It was an exciting and challenging project, as the series was extremely creative and stylised. The quantity of costumes I had to work on was very high, but I really enjoyed it. It gave me the opportunity to experiment and try out new styles and outfits, blending futuristic styles with contemporary, trying out different fabrics and different colour palettes. I tapped into my creativity to the extreme. It was great. 

Do you have a “Dream Costume” that you would like to make one day?

Yes, I do. It would be for the character created by Dodie Smith, Cruella de Vil.