The Crit #45: Deborah Cooke
The Crit, a fortnightly podcast from Disegno, asks designers to pass judgement on their careers, sharing their greatest wins and their biggest fumbles.
For those new to the show, each episode sees Disegno’s editor-in-chief Oli Stratford invite a guest to Kef Music Gallery to look back on their past projects. Our guest reveals what worked best; what failed; what pushed their career to new heights; what feedback most shaped their practice; and what they feel needs to be redesigned.
At the end of each episode, to complete their crit, they’ll be asked to give themselves a grade for their career to date: fail, pass, commendation or distinction.
It’s a design-school crit, delivered every fortnight! Subscribe to the show here, or sign up wherever you get your podcasts from.
Our forty-fifth guest on The Crit is Deborah Cooke, accompanied by show host Oli Stratford.
Episode #45: Deborah Cooke
Deborah Cooke is the head of costume at animation studio Laika, known for its stop-motion films that have received both BAFTA and Golden Globe awards.
For over 20 years, Cooke has created beloved designs that continue to inspire Halloween costumes, from the iconic yellow raincoat for Coraline (2009) to the outfits inspired by samurai warriors in Kubo and the Two Strings (2016).
Trained in sculpture at Central Saint Martins, Cooke’s work draws on this material practice, layering fabric on top of silicone and metal armatures and carefully engineering the costumes to crease and drape on a miniature scale as they would on a human body.
Laika’s latest film, Wildwood, opens in UK cinemas today, 23 October, bringing an adaptation of the bestselling children’s fantasy novel which tells the story of a teenage girl who journeys into a magical, hidden forest to rescue her baby brother. This episode of The Crit was recorded at the Design Museum, where a special exhibition in honour of the new film is taking place, titled Laika Presents Wildwood: The Exhibition.
In her crit, Cooke talks about making costumes from old opera gloves, the challenges of designing for non-human anatomies, the importance of creating dark and eerie stories for children, and her dream of creating sculptures for the art world.
Show Notes: Deborah Cooke
Best design: Costumes for Kubo and the Two Strings
Worst design: When she comes up with a range of options and her least favourite costume gets picked
Most successful design: Coraline’s costume
Most impactful feedback: A standing ovation at the Wildwood premiere
Dream design: Making her own sculptures for the art world
This episode of The Crit was recorded at the Design Museum.
The Crit’s graphics were created by Leonhard Rothmoser.
The Crit’s music was created by Yuri Suzuki and Team Suzuki.