Jacqueline West designed the original costume for Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 version of Dune. The Museum of Science Fiction commissioned a reproduction of this costume for display at their 2022 conference. Draper and team lead on this project was Athene Wright working with Jen Bayang in the role of design consultant. The project team consisted of Jocelyn Chatman as first hand, Matty Blatt and Emma Holyst in the dual roles of stitcher and crafts assistant. Rachel Pollack as crafts consultant/dyer painter. The cape and head wrap were patterned and assembled by Ellen Cornette. The shoes and gaiters were patterned and assembled by Lou Pires
This project bore both similarities to traditional costume construction and significant differences. Like a theatrical piece, the garment would be seen under staged lighting from all angles. Unlike a theatrical costume, however, the stillsuit replica would be a display object never worn by a human. The entire costume, mannequin included, would be disassembled and packed into a road case by persons untrained in costumes. In addition, it was expected that the materials and surface design techniques would be able to withstand constant display level lighting for a number of years.
The most valuable information I was able to find about the materials used in the original costume was a swatch board co-opted as set dressing in a behind the scenes interview with the costume designer. This indicated most of the materials were proprietary composites custom developed for the stillsuits. Based on this, I worked with the design liaison to source textiles and foams to form the basis of the armor pieces, tubes, and bladders that appear on the costume. I then worked with crafts artisan Rachel Pollack to develop the shaping and finishing techniques that we used to transform mundane materials into sci-fi armor. The process was highly experimental and involved unconventional materials such as roofing rubber, ABS plastic, and various types of adhesives. I also started a collaboration with the UNC-Chapel Hill makerspace, a branch of the Applied Sciences Department, who advised us on the incorporation of 3D printed components into the costume piece.
The first step in draping this project was to break the costume down into its individual pieces. I grouped the sub-garments on the basis of shared materials and techniques, then assigned them to members of my team. By separating the work of recreating each sub-garment, each team member was able to develop specialty techniques for the handling of each distinct material and finishing process. This division of labor was essential for managing the tremendous range of specialization involved in the production of this costume.