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Kate Hawley
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Kate Hawley is a New Zealand set and costume designer who works on film and stage productions. In film she designed the costumes for Crimson Peak (2015) and Mortal Engines (2018). Stage productions include work for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, the New Zealand Festival and the New Zealand Opera Company.
Key Information
Biography
[edit]Hawley grew up in Wellington, New Zealand, and attended Samuel Marsden Collegiate School from 1982 to 1988. Following high school, she studied graphic design at the Wellington School of Design at Wellington Polytechnic, completing a diploma in visual communication design in 1992.[1][2] In 1996, she attended the Motley Theatre Design Course in London.[1][3]
Hawley began her career in theatre and opera productions, and later moved into costume design for film.[4] She has taught at Toi Whakaari The New Zealand Drama School.[5]
Some stage productions she has worked on include as the set and costume designer of The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead starring Kerry Fox, directed by Colin McColl in 2006 for Auckland Theatre Company.[6] Costume design for opera The Trial of the Cannibal Dog (composer Matthew Suttor, librettist John Downie, director Christian Penny, conductor Peter Scholes, producer New Zealand Festival),[7] and set and costume design of Hansel and Gretel, a Royal New Zealand Ballet production choreographed by Loughlan Prior.[8] In 2007 Hawley was the production designer of the New Zealand Opera production of Lucia di Lammermoor.[9] In reviewing this production, Pepe Becker wrote:
The all-female leaders of the creative team (director Lindy Hume, assistant director Sara Brodie and production designer Kate Hawley) are to be congratulated for their outstanding and ingenious direction. Venturing away from the traditional sort of production one expects for a Donizetti work proves to be a good move.[9]
In film Hawley has worked for Peter Jackson on The Lovely Bones and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and with Guillermo Del Toro on Pacific Rim and Crimson Peak.[1][10] She designed the costumes for Edge of Tomorrow (2014), the 2016 movie Suicide Squad,[11][12] and Mortal Engines directed by Christian Rivers.[13]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | On a Clear Day | Gaby Dellal | |
| 2009 | The Lovely Bones | Peter Jackson | Additional costume designer |
| 2012 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | ||
| 2013 | Pacific Rim | Guillermo del Toro | |
| The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | Peter Jackson | Additional costume designer | |
| 2014 | Edge of Tomorrow | Doug Liman | |
| The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies | Peter Jackson | Additional costume designer | |
| 2015 | Crimson Peak | Guillermo del Toro | |
| 2016 | Suicide Squad | David Ayer | |
| 2018 | Mortal Engines | Christian Rivers | |
| 2020 | The Call of the Wild | Chris Sanders | |
| 2021 | Chaos Walking | Doug Liman | |
| 2025 | Frankenstein | Guillermo del Toro |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power | 8 episodes |
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astra TV and Creative Arts Awards[a] | 2023 | Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Costumes | The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power | Nominated | [14] |
| Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards[b] | 1993 | Costume Designer of the Year | — | Won | [15] |
| Costume Designers Guild Awards | 2015 | Excellence in Period Film | Crimson Peak | Nominated | [16] |
| 2022 | Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Television | The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Episode: "A Shadow of the Past") | Nominated | [17] | |
| Empire Awards | 2015 | Best Costume Design | Crimson Peak | Nominated | [18] |
| Middleburg Film Festival | 2025 | Special Achievement in Costume Design Award | Frankenstein | Won | [19] |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes | The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Episode: "A Shadow of the Past") | Nominated | [20] |
| Saturn Awards | 2015 | Best Costume Design | Crimson Peak | Nominated | [21] |
Notes
[edit]- ^ formerly known as Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society Awards and Hollywood Critics Association Awards
- ^ succeeded by the Wellington Theatre Awards in 2015.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Kate Hawley (2017)". Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "Kate Hawley". Massey University: Alumni Relations. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "From Hollywood to Wellywood: Kate Hawley, Crimson Peak and Suicide Squad costume designer comes home". thisNZlife. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ Croot, James (23 October 2015). "Awards talk for Kiwi costumer designer". Stuff. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ Guest, Bill (2010). Transitions: Four Decades of Toi Whakaari; New Zealand Drama School. Ginny Sullivan, Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School. Wellington [N.Z.]: Victoria University Press. ISBN 978-0-86473-642-0. OCLC 669968400.
- ^ "The Blonde, The Brunette and The Vengeful Redhead". Auckland Theatre Company. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "Production Information: The Trial of the Cannibal Dog". TheatreView. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "Production Information: Hansel and Gretel (RNZB)". TheatreView. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ a b Becker, Pepe (25 June 2007). "Lucia di Lammermoor: Superb Execution of Music and Production". TheatreView. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ Cohen, David S. (30 September 2015). "'Crimson Peak' Costume Designer Mixes Frills and Chills for Victorian Story". Variety. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "Kate Hawley". IMDb. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ Barna, Ben (August 2016). "'Suicide Squad' Costume Designer Kate Hawley on Reimagining Harley Quinn". NYLON. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "Credits | Mortal Engines | Film | NZ On Screen". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ Moye, Clarence (11 July 2023). "2023 Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards: 'Yellowjackets,' 'The Boys' Lead All Nominees with 14 Nominations". Awards Daily. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ "Winners of the Wellington-based Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards, inaugurated in 1992". Theatre Aotearoa Database. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ Smith, C. Molly (7 January 2016). "Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Brooklyn among Costume Designers Guild Awards nominees". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ Pond, Steve (12 January 2023). "Costume Designers Guild Award Nominations Range from 'Avatar' to 'Elvis' to 'Nope'". TheWrap. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ Nugent, John (18 February 2016). "Jameson Empire Awards 2016: Star Wars and Mad Max lead the nominations". Empire. Archived from the original on 19 February 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- ^ Tangcay, Jazz (2 October 2025). "'Rental Family' Named as Middleburg Film Festival's Closing Night Film". Variety. Archived from the original on 4 October 2025. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (12 July 2023). "Emmys 2023: The Complete Nominations List". Variety. Archived from the original on 4 April 2025. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ Squires, John (24 February 2016). "2016 Saturn Awards Nominees Announced". Dread Central. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
Kate Hawley
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Kate Hawley is a New Zealand costume designer known for her intricate, symbolically layered costumes in gothic, fantasy, and science fiction films, particularly through her ongoing collaborations with director Guillermo del Toro. Her work is celebrated for blending historical detail with artistic innovation, using color, texture, and motif to deepen narrative and character development across major productions.
Hawley began her career in New Zealand as a scenery painter for opera before transitioning to costume and set design for theater and stage productions. She first met del Toro during pre-production on The Hobbit in New Zealand, which led to her film breakthrough as costume designer on Pacific Rim (2013) after that project evolved into other opportunities. This partnership continued with Crimson Peak (2015), where she created elaborate Victorian-era designs rich in symbolism, and extended to Frankenstein (2025), drawing from Art Nouveau, romantic literature, and archival inspirations to craft period costumes with emotional resonance.[1][2][3]
Her filmography includes contributions to high-profile projects such as Edge of Tomorrow (2014), Suicide Squad (2016), Mortal Engines (2018), and the television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022), where she designed extensive wardrobes for diverse cultures and eras. Hawley maintains a base in New Zealand, operating Kate Hawley Studios to extend her multidisciplinary practice beyond film into theater, fashion collaborations, and bespoke design. Her approach emphasizes collaboration across departments and inspiration from sources like the Romantics, rock icons, and historical archives to achieve visually cohesive storytelling.[4][5][3]