Meet Colleen Atwood, the multi-Oscar-award-winning costume designer behind iconic looks such as Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts film series and The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. Part of our Making the Magic collection.
Hi, I'm Colleen Atwood, a costume designer. Well, in my career, I've been very lucky to make a few iconic costumes. Probably the first one I was able to make was Edward Scissorhands. It was early in my career – it was the first movie I did with Tim [Burton] so that was probably, you know, a standalone kind of iconic costume in somebody's career. I went on to design the first Alice In Wonderland and Helena Bonham Carter's Red Queen and The Mad Hatter. Reinventing Alice was a great challenge and a fun thing. And then these Fantastic Beasts costumes – not only are you figuring out the wizard costumes for these modern, more 20th century wizards, but also creating the world that they lived in.
Whether it's the BAFTA, the Costume Designers Guild Award or the Oscar, it's, you know, it's a huge rush and honour when you win the award. Well when you're someone that works behind the camera and you're in an environment where you have to go in front of the camera, it's really horrifying because… it's just not where you want to be. You'd rather be in the back, fixing people's clothes. So it's a kind of huge, terrifying explosion and then, the next day, is like a little bit of a rush and then it just kind of goes OK well back to normal.
Well I got into costume and film a little bit later in my life. I wanted to be a painter when I was young and then I had a child when I was 17 and so I had to, you know, do other things. And, when she was in high school, I started this career through getting jobs in the fashion industry. I basically moved to New York when I was 29-years-old and started being a costume designer and it was not easy.
I come from a certain time of films and I love a lot of the great Italian films of the 70s, like, you know, that people don't even know about any more, shockingly, but if you just love movies just watch anything that's good. The Godfather I've watched at least 20 times and it's not always because of the costumes, but the costumes are really good and they're iconic because of the movie.
I think what I love most about being a costume designer is the amount of people that I get to work with, the amazing craftsmanship I surround myself with and the idea that I never know what the next challenge is.
What does your role involve?
I visualise and design costumes for characters in films. I start by reading the screenplay and looking at images. I have some old books I look at for inspiration. If I know who will be playing the part, I think about the actor and I think about the whole story and how they are as real people inside, before they become like a fantasy character. Every great character is built from within, by asking: who is this person?
If it's a big film, like the Fantastic Beasts series, we will make the costumes for the principal characters and the featured characters (like aurors) and then rent some of the costumes for extras from different costume houses around the world. A character may also have a stunt double and a photo double so you need more versions of costumes than you might think!
What have you worked on?
As well as the Fantastic Beasts film series, I've worked on a lot of projects with director Tim Burton, like Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. I recently worked on Disney's live-action adaptation of Lady and the Tramp and am involved in the upcoming The Little Mermaid film too.
How did you get your job?
I had a child at 17, so my path wasn't direct to this world. Before getting into costume design, I studied painting and worked in all sorts of jobs including farm work, restaurant work, factory work and then fashion retail. I had a child to support so I waited until she was at high school and then pursued my design career in my 30s.
I started in costume design after moving New York and I got my first job in film because I met someone by chance in the street whose mother was a production designer. One of her team didn't show up for work so I stepped in making props for the movie, Ragtime. The team were impressed with the prop hats I made so I continued working with them on different projects for about a year and my career built from there.
What's the biggest challenge you've faced?
The first few years, when you are building relationships, it's very difficult to get work.
Sometimes I did jobs I didn't love but they led to other things and I built work relationships that have lasted a long time.
What's your career highlight?
I've had many exciting jobs, learning so much from each – there isn't just one project that rules for me.
What do you look for when hiring people?
- Strong work ethic
- Willingness to learn
- Discretion
- Knowledge of design or desire to expand knowledge
Colleen's recent projects
| Year | Project |
|---|---|
| Present | The Little Mermaid |
| 2019 | The Lady and the Tramp |
| 2019 | Dumbo |
| 2018 | Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald |
| 2018 | Tomb Raider |
| 2016 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them |
| 2016 | Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children |
| 2016 | Into the Woods |
| 2016 | Alice Through the Looking Glass |
What to expect if you want to be a costume designer
- Costume designer average salary: £16,000 to £35,000 per year
- Costume designer typical working hours: 35 to 42 hours per week
What qualifications do you need to be a costume designer?
You could get into this role via a university course or a college course (such as a Level 2 Certificate in Fashion and Textiles, or a T-level in Craft and Design - England only - from Sept 2023). You can also do an apprenticeship or work towards the role.
Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service, GOV.UK
Want to know more
- Check out Warner Bros. Creative Talent for scholarships, apprenticeships, work and training placements, mentoring and masterclass opportunities
- Take a look at the ScreenSkills guide to become a costume designer.
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed and the GOV.UK website for more on T-levels.
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
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