The goal of a set designer is to create breathtaking environments using production design techniques. A creative job at the intersection of arts and crafts, illusion, that requires a wild imagination.
Inside the creative industries, the role of a set designer is crucial for advertising campaigns, filmmaking, and ephemeral events. Their skills are related to architecture, space design tools, and developing an original concept for each project.
Set designers are well-known for their work on films and television series, capturing the essence of the scripts and characters to recreate the desired environments and spaces that the film or play requires.
The fashion industry is another field for developing space design projects. Fashion communication tools such as fashion editorials, photography, catwalks, and presentations require the expertise of these professionals.
The set designer’s contribution is to supervise “the look” of a motion picture, a photography session, or the general stage in which an action will take place. They create cohesive pictorial schemes that directly support the fashion concept of a brand or an event.
Professional set designers must create a mood and atmosphere through props – such as furniture, decorations, or one-of-a-kind objects- and a color palette in tune with the clothing. Finally, they must offer creative possibilities to trace the movements for models, actors, or any person involved in the “happening”.
The tools that a set designer uses to communicate with producers, art directors, or other designers are:
-Sketches for ideas and creative research with mood boards and references.
-Floor plans with specific information and an accurate layout for the set.
-Set elevations and 3D renders to view different elements from multiple perspectives.
World-Renowned Set Designers Working in the Fashion Industry
Rem Koolhaas
Dutch (superstar) Architect, Rem Koolhaas is the head behind the Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA/AMO) research, and design studio, that “applies architectural thinking to domains beyond”. OMA has worked with Universal Studios, Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, Heineken, Ikea, Harvard University, and the Hermitage. The long-life relationship with the Italian luxury brand Prada is one of its milestones. This collaboration is credited for the “epicenter’s effect” inside the retail industry. OMA is known to have collaborated hand-to-hand with Miuccia Prada on the set design of her catwalks for more than a decade.
Alexandre de Betak
The “King Midas” of fashion events and fashion show scenography, Alexandre de Betak is the founder of Bureau Betak, a production studio for runway shows, installations, and exhibitions running for more than 25 years. He produced his first fashion show at the age of nineteen in Madrid for the Fashion Designer Sybilla Sorondo. At present, he stages and produces practically every fashion show during fashion week, from Kenzo to Chloé, Fendi, Isabel Marant, Christian Dior, and Saint Laurent among many -many- others.
Shona Heath
Graduated from the University of Brighton, Heath’s work has been linked to fashion photographer Tim Walker, together as a creative couple, they have created some of the most memorable fashion images of all time. She regularly creates sets for British magazines, as well as advertising campaigns for a long list of luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Hermès, Lanvin, and Marni. Her signature fantastical approach to sets stands by her reputation.
Stefan Beckman
Beckman is a longtime collaborator of Marc Jacobs, creating his runway presentations. He combines set design work with editorial shoots, and films. Beckman, started in Los Angeles, as a prop designer for art departments in television networks. In the 1990s, he met Art Director, Fabien Baron, starting a creative relationship that stands until today. The studio works across a wide range of projects and exhibitions, some of its clients include Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Chanel, or Zara.
Emma Roach
Emma Roach Studio is a London-based design studio specializing in set design, installation, and prop making for the fashion industry. The studio works across a variety of different mediums including film, digital, and print. Roach,who studied sculpture and painting, combines cinematic inspirations and music to create incredible atmospheres. She has worked for Raf Simons, Celine, Fenty, and Jil Sander.
The work of a set designer consists of being immersed in creative concepts, visions, and carefully crafted aesthetics to create amazing projects in fashion. You should be following the best.
Do you want to learn more about this topic? Find more in the Interior Design program.