The Hidden Art of Costume: Crafting Stories Through Fabric

      SKETCH TO SCREEN WITH THIS YEARS OSCAR NOMINATED COSTUME DESIGNERS

​Costume is rarely just clothing. On screen, it becomes language — a visual script that reveals a character’s past, ambitions, and emotional truth long before a single line of dialogue is spoken. Through fabric, silhouette, and gesture, costume design captures something deeply human: the way we move, the way we carry ourselves, the way we present ourselves to the world. 

 “Every thread, every fold, every shadow in a costume speaks — it’s our first language with the audience.”

Costume designers, perhaps more than anyone in filmmaking, understand that clothing communicates identity. Heritage, struggle, dreams, and personality live in the details: the swing of a coat, the authority of a tailored shoulder, the swagger of a character stepping into their moment. Today we are in conversation at the the David C. Copley Center for the Study of Costume Design to celebrate this craft.

Fueled by the generosity of David C. Copley, the Center nurtures emerging artists and supports designers redefining the language of costume. While we all choose our “costumes” daily — the ways we move through the world and wish to be seen — today’s gathering honours masters of this cinematic craft.

This year’s conversation, the 16th Sketch To Screen is led by Dr. Deborah Nadoolman Landis, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Center, alongside the five Oscar-nominated designers shaping the visual memory of contemporary cinema:

• Miyako Bellizzi – Marty Supreme
• Ruth E. Carter – Sinners
• Kate Hawley – Frankenstein
• Deborah L. Scott – Avatar: Fire and Ash
• Małgosia Turzańska – Hamnet

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The Hidden Art of Avatar: Costumes That Bring Pandora to Life. 

​With technology being at the forefront of our minds in this growing age of fast developing technology, it seems particularly pertinent in the movie Avatar, however, the characters we see — towering, blue, impossibly agile — are often assumed to exist purely as digital creations. But behind the Na’vi, the creatures, and the lush world of Pandora lies meticulous, almost invisible craft: the art of costume design.

The process blends tactile, hands-on garment creation with the abstract digital universe of performance capture. Every piece — from flowing ceremonial robes to the smallest accessory — was physically built in artisan workshops before it ever hit the screen.
 
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We build garments by hand, then translate them into a digital space, where they inform motion-capture performances.

​The physicality of each costume informs the digital translation. Textures, weight, and movement are not just aesthetic choices but essential data for visual effects. Artists scan, touch, and observe the garments in every scenario, from the pull of underwater motion to the sway of a Na’vi leap. Subtle design choices — like fitting twin characters in rooms with different lighting — enhance character distinction while remaining invisible to the audience, Scott says: 

The characters are real people to me. Everything about them moves, behaves, and reacts just as a human costume would.

Guided by James Cameron’s vision, costumes were made physically from the outset, setting the stage for sequels and ensuring a tangible realism in even the most fantastical moments. In Avatar, the extraordinary often rests in the invisible details. 


 

Behind the Seams: A Look Inside the Designers’ Process
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Miyako Bellizzi – Marty Supreme

• Sketches & Concept Art: Hand-drawn designs capture silhouette and movement before fabric is selected.
• Materials: Soft wool blends and metallic threads convey both authority and vulnerability.
• Workshop Insight: Bellizzi experiments with layering textures to create subtle visual storytelling, letting each costume respond naturally to character movement.

Bellizzi speaks about the first few fittings, really finding out how they were going to make Timothée Chalamet​ Marty. Having come off of A Complete Unknown, Bellizzi was having a hard time seeing his as anything but Bob Dylan. Once they got the hair and the glasses, his character began to come to life. 

In the film, I was lucky to start working with him a few months before we had finished the script. I wanted to see him early because I knew we wouldn’t have much private time later. So I asked the producers if I could meet him as soon as possible to start wrapping my head around the character. Scott says:

"When I first fitted him, it was really helpful — we could begin to see how the clothing worked with his body. He fits this period really well, and everything looks great on him. The character is based on a real person, and there were a lot of photos of him when he was younger, playing table tennis, which I used as references."

Scott continues, "But meeting the actor in person informs so much about the character. You can have an idea of a character, but once you meet them, sometimes everything changes — how they walk, how they carry themselves, even how colors and fabrics look on them. With him, the biggest difference was the hair. Once we figured out his face, hair, and glasses, it really transformed him. He looked collegiate and young, and I had to figure out what would make him Marty. That was a big challenge.

As for Timothy himself, Scott says, "He was very patient and professional. He was open to any ideas we had and worked collaboratively with Josh and me. He trusted our vision and let us guide the process, which is not always the case."

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​Ruth E. Carter – Sinners

Speaking of the preparation, Carter had less than a month to prepare for Sinners.. 

"Ryan Ryan called me a month before we began, and I started reading books — about Jim Crow, the Mississippi Delta, Clarksdale, sharecroppers — just to get into the spirit of the time.." 

Outside of reading, which Carter loves to do she utilised: 

• Sketches & Color Palettes: Vibrant, culturally inspired patterns and color choices are mapped meticulously before construction.
• Materials: Hand-dyed silks, embroidered fabrics, and traditional motifs are fused with modern tailoring.
• Workshop Insight: Carter’s work is deeply character-driven. She recalls how Michael B. Jordan engaged with his costume, finding that his footwear could shape performance:

 
When asked about the anecdote of Michael B Jordan being given different size shoes Ruth E Carter laughs.. “He kept saying that…if you give an actor a shoe that’s a half size too small, it’ll work for the first take. He was thinking about the feeling of an Italian shoe versus a boot — the boot has a wide toe box, the Italian shoe is narrow. I loved that the costume connected to his character, but I didn’t buy it to match him playing his own twin. I loved that he discovered what worked for him in character, especially with the shoes. But it was also the language of the suit, how it wore, and who he was while wearing it — everyman, working-class, then more tailored in Italian style. He probably walked around saying, ‘This shoe is great. This is great. Trust me.’” 

I loved that he discovered what worked for him in character, especially with the shoes.

Carter’s process reflects a deep sensitivity: every stitch, every fold, every accessory communicates identity, history, and attitude. Carter is the most nominated Black costume designer in Oscar history, a trailblazer whose work continues to inspire generations of artists. I’ve had the honor of interviewing her before, and her passion, precision, and dedication to storytelling through costume are unforgettable.


The Process: 

• Sketches & Motion-Capture Integration: Designs consider both real-world wear and digital translation.
• Materials: Lightweight, stretchable fabrics enhanced with physical textures inform motion-capture realism.
• Workshop Insight: Costumes are scanned, tested, and animated digitally to preserve weight, flow, and texture — a seamless bridge between tactile and virtual worlds.

 
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Kate Hawley– Frankenstein

Initially Hawley started her process with re-visiting the book of Frankenstein and then initially looking to the book of Age of Enlightenment for further inspiration​, however Guillermo decided to set it to Crimean War so shifting it from 1700s to the mid-19th century which shifted the inspiration of the costuming. The dates it was set didn't dictate the inspiration of the costuming, instead, the inspiration veered more to 1960s London, including David Bowie, Biba fashion and Carnaby street. The exactitude of the history become secondary to the vision of Guillermo’s and the world he wanted to create. 

• Sketches & Silhouette Studies: Multiple iterations explore historical accuracy and exaggerated forms to reflect emotion and status.
• Materials: Heavy linens, distressed leather, and textured wools evoke a period feel while allowing performance flexibility.
• Workshop Insight: Beavan layers fabrics in unexpected ways to enhance silhouette drama, using small details to suggest larger societal constraints.

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Małgosia Turzańska – Hamnet

It might seem that Agnes’ wore the same red dress through the movie. However there were different iterations of the dress, from different sleeves, to difference bodices and using materials such as bark cloth that showed Agnes’ fascination and connection to nature. 

• Sketches & Historical Research: Careful studies of 16th–17th century clothing inform authentic yet expressive designs.
• Materials: Natural fibers, hand-loomed fabrics, and muted dyes evoke period realism.
• Workshop Insight: Turzańska focuses on wear patterns, stitching, and subtle distressing to tell a story of time, labor, and life in each garment.

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Costume design, as this year’s nominees demonstrate, is observation, imagination, and meticulous craft. Each stitch carries meaning, each colour and texture communicates, and every choice shapes how audiences connect with characters. Beyond decoration, beyond flair, costume is storytelling — a silent language that speaks volumes.

With the Oscars tomorrow, one of these visionary artists will walk home with the golden statue, their craft immortalized on cinema’s grandest stage.
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With thanks to UCLA. 

Movie stills and posters
Photo credit to:

Sinners official Instagram
Marty Supreme official Instagram
Avatar official Instagram 
Hamnet official Instagram 
Frankenstein Instagram