We spoke to James Henderson, Costume Designer for our Christmas Youth Production of The Wind in the Willows to find out more about the inspiration behind the costumes.
Tell us about the process of creating a costume for The Wind in the Willows
In our version of Willows, the various animals each character is based upon are primarily evoked through shapes, colour, and texture – a design challenge that has been really enjoyable, and which sparked many brilliantly bizarre conversations in the initial stages of the project (How exactly would a Mole or a Swallow dress if they were human, and what can that costume communicate about that specific creature’s characteristics?)
Foregoing ears and tails, and approaching the characters as humans with animals characteristics allowed us to really lean into the abstract, which for me has been a lot of fun.
What is your favourite costume in the production?
There’s so many that I love so it’s a hard pick, with Mole, the Mice and the Otters being among my favourites. But I think Chief Weasel has to have been one of the most fun to make. The look is a bit of a Peaky Blinders/Madness mashup that looks like they have patched and modified different items together to give themselves a sense of grandeur and status amongst the other Wild Wooders. It’s one of those costumes that I’m slightly jealous I don’t get to wear myself!
What costume did you find the most challenging?
Each costume and character group has presented its own unique challenges from a design perspective. With the costumes needing to evoke the creatures they’re based on rather than making them look explicitly animal-like, it’s been a case of finding exactly where that balance is. Hopefully audiences will have fun playing guess the animal, and picking out all the little details and references we’ve worked into the designs.
How many costumes are there in total?
There are 131 costumes in total! Lots of the cast are multi-roling, in some cases playing up to 5 different characters. It’s certainly busy backstage!
What do you love most about costume design and working on this project?
The biggest joy really is seeing the costumes come to life when they eventually make it on to stage. This company are just extraordinarily brilliant and it’s so gratifying seeing them all really lean into and use their costumes in their performances.
From the warm, colourful characters of the riverbank to the shady ensemble of Wild Wooders and everyone in between, creating the costumes for The Wind in the Willows has been an enormous privilege. Whilst firmly rooted in an idyllic, somewhat fantastical early 20th century setting, this is a timeless story which speaks to the importance of friendship, nature, and teaches us that just like the seasons, change is inevitable and not always something to be feared. It’s been a huge honour to help bring it to life alongside a fantastic cast and creative team, and I hope you enjoy!
