Celebrity stylist-entrepreneur Joy Crizildaa debuted as a costume designer with Rajathandhiram. Now, she’s one of the most sought-after costume designers in the industry. Having worked with the likes of Vijay, Vishnu Vishal, Jayam Ravi, Atharvaa and GV Prakash, to name a few, she’s is excited about how her career graph is progressing. She makes an actor wear an outfit if she feels it suits them or the role. It is never as a conscious move to make it a fashion statement, observes Joy. For her, designing is about how to accomplish new ideas through costumes, combining a mixture of tradition, culture, mood, and the current era. “For movies, it’s mainly with the story boards,” she says.
Joy surprises us when she says she actually wanted to become a filmmaker, but ended up being a designer. “Eventually, I realised my love for costumes and I love to see people styled by my touch actually translates into a love for details as a costume designer and stylist. I was always fascinated by colours. That’s where this all kicked up the spark inside me,” she smiles.
Quiz her on the most challenging aspect of being a costume designer — that they are given little time — and she says, “I was lucky to have got to work for and under the best people. Things that really matter cost money. Today people expect modern creative designs with better price points. I need to keep a waking eye on that. Part of what makes my job interesting is being open to new ideas. However, I try to get as much visual reference as I can. Research is very important and you need to understand what’s there in the script too.”
Academy-award winning costume designer Jenny Beavan inspires her a lot. “She designs with recycled items, which is wonderful,” she says. In addition, I draw inspiration from many aspects of life. Say, nature, colour patterns, dreams, etc. I’m sure I am following a design path of my own,” she says. What’s next? “I am working on projects like Rekka, Bruce Lee and an untitled flick of Nivin Pauly’s. I am enjoying what I am doing and I’d love to design clothes for Rajinikanth sir. It’s my long-time wish. I hope my dream gets fulfilled someday,” she says, who also has her boutique ‘Signatures’ in Besant Nagar. “Creativity means a lot to me to be able to not only make myself happy but other people by my clothes. I go to sleep with more on my mind and designing for future shoots,” she signs off.
