Client_ Rob Dougan_edited_edited_edited.

Costume Designer

IDENTITY IMAGE IMPACT

As film and advertising move rapidly toward hybrid and AI-enhanced production, my role as a Costume Designer has evolved into world building. I help directors and creative teams shape the visual logic that grounds AI output in reality – the psychology, silhouette, style, movement and fabric behaviour, rooted in a deep knowledge of period and contemporary costume, that algorithms cannot intuit on their own.

For more than 20 years I’ve designed for commercials, films, music videos and stills across Africa and Europe. That experience now gives me a unique edge: I know how clothes behave on real bodies, how they carry character, and what detail AI must understand in order to generate believable images. My job is to ensure the technology never loses the nuance and intention that real costume design brings.

AI-Enhanced Costume & World Building

I work with directors, cinematographers and AI teams to prepare the visual logic that makes hybrid and AI-led productions feel grounded and believable. That includes conceptual costume direction, silhouette psychology, proportion logic, fabric and movement interpretation, and the reference architecture AI needs to generate authentic images.

I also collaborate with an award-winning commercial photographer to create clean, high-integrity photographic references and digital assets. These give AI pipelines the detail and realism they need to produce accurate costume — rather than relying on noisy, second-hand or inconsistent imagery. Together, we ensure that what’s generated carries the nuance, depth and emotional truth of real costume design.

Real Wardrobe. Real Textures.
Real References

Alongside my work as a Costume Designer, I run Wardrobe Works, a curated studio of clothing, accessories and vintage pieces spanning decades.

This collection gives productions something AI cannot: real wardrobe, photographed properly, with accurate texture, weight and movement.

This enables:

High-resolution reference images for AI teams
Authentic drape, colour and silhouette behaviour
Physical wardrobe for hybrid shoots
Actor-specific image capture for world-building datasets

It means your AI isn’t guessing from generic internet images. It’s grounded in real, intentional costume.

Wardrobe Works

I style to create stories.
For individuals, for characters, and for anyone ready to use clothing as a palette for expressing who they really are.

Regional insight: South & East Africa

Currently based in the UK and EU markets, I’ve worked extensively across South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania, and understand the practical realities of sourcing, building and managing wardrobe in these regions.

Productions working on the African continent need experience-led guidance, not guesswork, and that’s what I bring whether we’re telling local stories or global campaigns set in African contexts.

I can:

Advise realistically on what’s available locally, and where we may need to build or source beyond the region.
Prepare clear, grounded wardrobe budgets based on real availability and cost.
Plan and prep purchases in advance, either completing the job on the ground myself or handing over a structured, ready-to-execute package to a trusted local team.

This insight saves time, reduces risk and ensures authenticity whether the production is fully live-action or part of a hybrid, AI-enhanced workflow.

Smart, conscious wardrobe decisions

Working at the intersection of costume, sustainability and circular fashion has shaped the way I make decisions on set.

For me, “conscious wardrobe” isn’t about restriction, it’s about smarter sourcing, better planning and choices that support both the story and the resources we use.

In practice, that includes:

Developing mood boards and concepts that support intelligent, sustainable sourcing and re-use of costume.
Drawing on my training as a Social Systems Lead Auditor to understand organisational ethics, compliance and supply-chain realities.
Using my experience founding a circular upcycled fashion brand in Nairobi to inform how I approach materials, makers and wardrobe solutions on set.

The same thinking applies to AI-enhanced productions: we design wardrobe logic and reference set that gives AI what it needs without

unnecessary over-buying or waste.

The result: resource-aware, technically smart wardrobe that supports the strongest possible visual story.

Selected Collaborators

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to work with a wide range of directors, photographers, production companies and clients on national and international projects.

Costume Designer

IDENTITY IMAGE IMPACT

AI-Enhanced Costume & World Building

​Real Wardrobe. Real Textures. Real References

I style to create stories. For individuals, for characters, and for anyone ready to use clothing as a palette for expressing who they really are.

Regional insight: South & East Africa

Smart, conscious wardrobe decisions

Selected Collaborators

DIRECTORS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

PRODUCTION HOUSES

CLIENTS

Real Wardrobe. Real Textures.
Real References

I style to create stories.
For individuals, for characters, and for anyone ready to use clothing as a palette for expressing who they really are.