Source: Radio New Zealand
Mia Goth as Elizabeth in Frankenstein. Ken Woroner/Netflix
The British Fashion Council has named a New Zealander Kiwi Kate Hawley as its inaugural Costume Designer of the Year.
The Fashion Awards will take place in the United Kingdom on 1 December, where Hawley has flown from Wellington to attend.
Hawley has been recognised for her work as a costume designer for the Netflix film Frankenstein, which was released last month.
“It feels more than a little fabulous and, admittedly, a little overwhelming,” she said.
Hawley studied at the Wellington School of Design, before being trained at London’s esteemed Motley School of Theatre Design.
Mia Goth as Clarie Frankenstein and Christian Convery as Young Victor in Frankenstein. Ken Woroner/Netflix
“I will always be grateful to New Zealand for the opportunities that were afforded me that might not have been so easily created elsewhere.
“I have a long list of those to thank, but it has also been many years of learning, being inspired by so many wonderful people around the world – and through my working life.
“Every experience, individual, culture… every project shapes my approach to costume design.”
Before Frankenstein, Hawley had worked for director Guillermo del Toro on Crimson Peak and Pacific Rim.
She was also a costume designer for the television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and worked for director Peter Jackson on The Hobbit trilogy, as well as The Lovely Bones.
She worked for director Doug Liman on Chaos Walking and Edge of Tomorrow, director Chris Sanders on The Call of the Wild, director Christian Rivers on Mortal Engines and director David Ayer on Suicide Squad.
“Although this is the first time a costume designer has received this award from the British Fashion Council, I am very conscious of the legendary director-designer partnerships that came before and impacted our culture in the past – and indeed have inspired me greatly.”
Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein. Ken Woroner/Netflix
The British Fashion Council said Hawley was acclaimed for her innovative, narrative-driven approach to costume design.
“Her ability to create costumes that define character, elevate story and resonate beyond the theatre are especially visible in Frankenstein, where she blends historical authenticity with a contemporary eye, and incorporates technical research to inform custom patterns and fabrics.”
Hawley was also awarded the Special Achievement in Costume Design Award at the Middleburg Film Festival in the United States last month and has been nominated for Best Costume Design at next year’s Astra Film Awards in Los Angeles.
She told RNZ that Frankenstein was director del Toro’s passion project.
“All of us are elevated under his vision and artistry. He wanted to push each and every department to their maximum – to elevate the craft of filmmaking – so we did.”
Hawley said del Toro was her inspiration for the costume design in the film.
“It’s all there in the script – themes of religion, mythology, nature unbound.
“If every part of the process has the same intention and energy of what you’re trying to do, then it’s working, and that’s how Frankenstein always felt.
“With Guillermo [del Toro], there was love in every part of the process.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
