RISING TALENT 2024: COSTUME DESIGNERS

RISING TALENT 2024

The IF Rising Talent list for 2024 is made up of people we think will shift and lead our industry into the future. Some are newer faces, others have recently stepped into senior roles where they’re now making waves. We think you’ll want to work with all of them. We put this list together through a public call out and extensive insdustry outreach. This year, we had a staggering 692 names put forward. As always, this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of talent that’s out there in Australia.

COSTUME DESIGNERS

CAITLIN MURRAY

Caitlin Murray is a Sydney-based costume designer, who most recently designed Paramount+’s Paper Dolls, diving back into the 2000s to costume the girl-band characters, and design unique Y2K pop outfits.

Her other long-form credits as designer include Stan’s Totally Completely Fine, season three and four of Bump, and the ABC’s The PM’s Daughter.

Murray graduated the University of Technology, Sydney with a Bachelor of Design with Honours in 2011 and began her career in the industry by assisting and then transitioning into costume buying. Simultaneously, she designed short films and web series, most notably The Moogai, produced by Causeway Films, and On Hold: The Musical which took out Best Short Film at the 2018 Flickerfest. In 2019 she was awarded APDG’s Thelma Afford Award for Design in Costume Stage and Screen.

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TEXX MONTANA

Based in Perth, Texx Montana entered the screen industry after years of working in the fashion industry as a buyer and designer. Her early career saw her working on a wide range of short-form content, such as Sparkles, I’m Not Hurting You, Evie and SBS’s Iggy and Ace. These projects led her to work around Australia within design, art finishing and extras coordinating. Montana completed a costume attachment on Disney+’s upcoming Last Days of the Space Age, and has also worked in the costume department for projects such as Mystery Road: Origin, Deadloch and Prosper.

David Vincent Smith’s He Ain’t Heavy, shot in January 2023, was Montana’s first time working as the head of the costume department on a feature film.

Montana is currently in designing Zoe Pepper’s Birthright and is attached as costume designer to Miley Tunnecliffe’s Proclivitas, slated for production this year.

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TESS TORRISI

Sydney-based costume designer Tess Torrisi is a NIDA Design for Performance graduate, with a background in fashion design and branding.

Torrisi has designed costumes for feature films such as Dane McCusker’s The Big Dog and Parish Malfitano’s upcoming Salt Along the Tongue (with 2023 Rising Talent Victoria Perry), and shorts such as James Elazzi’s YANNIS and Steve Anthopoulos’ Voice Activated Her costume department credits include The Fall Guy, Stars on Mars, Last King of the Cross and Transfusion.

Torrisi enjoys the psychology behind costumes and leaving Easter eggs for the audience to collect.

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ROMA D’ARRIETTA

Growing up in Sydney with a musician father and a mother who worked as an art director and stylist, Roma D’Arrietta was primed for a life in the creative industries, studying at both the University of Technology, Sydney and AFTRS. Her film career then began in 2010 as a costume buyer, working under designers such as Emily Seresin, Lisa Meagher and Joanna Mae Park.

In 2015, D’Arrietta made the leap to costume designer for TVCs and commercial photography, and over the past nine years she has worked alongside directors at companies such as Scoundrel, Revolver, Good Oil, Finch and Collider. She has also worked within the costume department on projects such as Buckley’s Chance, The Unusual Suspects, Stateless, Palm Beach and Top of the Lake.

In 2023, she transitioned into long-form as the costume designer for SBS/Lingo Pictures’ anthology series Erotic Stories, bringing eight different character worlds to life.

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STEPH HOOKE

Steph Hooke grew up between northeast Victoria and the Surf Coast, and studied fashion at The Gordon. She would go on to become a stylist, working across fashion editorial for Marie Claire and Instyle Magazines and advertising campaigns, before moving into TVCs.

After a stint in London, working across fashion, advertising and music videos, Steph returned to Melbourne and began working as a costume buyer in film and television.

Her costume department credits include Glitch, Banished, Holding the Man and Stateless, and she has worked under designers such as Wendy Cork, Cappi Ireland and Lizzie Gardiner.

In 2017, Hooke designed costume for Charles Williams’ Palme d’Or winning short All These Creatures, and won the Webfest Award for Best Achievement in Production for Bruce at Raindance Film Festival in London.

Hooke recently served as costume designer for Colin and Cameron Cairnes’ Late Night With the Devil which premiered last year at SXSW and screened at Sitges, BFI London Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival and Sydney Film Festival. She is currently in preproduction designing a series for the ABC.