Iko Ishioka passed away some months back at the young age of 74. By the time I had met her she was an institution most notably for her oscar winning costume work on Francis Ford Coppola's work Bram Stoker's Dracula. We were both new to Cirque du Soleil in 2002. Cirque was putting on a new show called Varekai.
Dominic Champaign the director, was looking for something eerie and a little surreal for the forest creatures. A lot of the characters had costumes resembling body armor. Others looked like aberrations of animal body parts. She was big on reds and blacks and although all the acrobats were quite muscular, she was able to highlight their physiques further with colors that seem to glow.
Not with the musicians. We dressed in a sort of zoot suit style that contrasted the creatures. One thing they were not, was uncomfortable.
There are some costumes designers whose first priority is look over comfort. There was never an uncomfortable moment in anyone's costumes. That's because when you plan to do hundreds of shows, you want your costume to be problem free. She had done the Olympics and for athletes you don't mess around. Your clothing is your skin and it needs to be free of any issues since competition is so intense. She really cared about everyone and made sure everyone was happy.
She was also very soft spoken and humble. She never put on airs the way some costume designers can. I remember one time in San Francisco she came for the opening. All the important people from the bay area would be there like George Lucas. But there were high winds that night and we all sat in our costumes listening to the tent shake, wondering whether it was even safe to put on a show. Cirque cancelled. There was an after party where Guy Laliberte became the show that replaced the show. He kept spirits high. Iko asked me if she could get a lift, so we drove back to our apartments. In the car she was her sweet and humble self, but in contrast with the after party, a little sad. Considering how famous and accomplished she already was, she really wanted her friends to see what she had done.
I think she always wanted people to know she depended on the kindness of friends and audiences. She spoke as if she was seeing the world with fresh eyes as if she was doing it for the first time. I told her it's hard to make everything fall into place and of course they will come and let you know. Small comfort. I guess not seeing them face to face was the big issue.
She never displayed pretension. When she worked with me, as with everyone, it was collaboration. I take no credit for her work, but her attention to detail made my work easier. I went through 4 costumes over 4 years at a cost of a few thousand per. When you put on 10 shows a week, nothing is going to last forever.
One time she came back to New York and I noticed in the audience my former bosses Julie Taymor and Elliot Goldenthal. They were watching the show and having a good time of it. They later went backstage to talk to Iko. Little did I know one of them was thinking of putting on a show with Iko. That would eventually become Spiderman. It would also be one of the last things on her endless list of credits. As many of you know that show was one of the most criticized productions in history, but the one thing that was never criticsized- in fact praised- were the costumes.
No surprise there. Julie had picked one of the few things that went right for her show.
Dominic Champaign the director, was looking for something eerie and a little surreal for the forest creatures. A lot of the characters had costumes resembling body armor. Others looked like aberrations of animal body parts. She was big on reds and blacks and although all the acrobats were quite muscular, she was able to highlight their physiques further with colors that seem to glow.
Not with the musicians. We dressed in a sort of zoot suit style that contrasted the creatures. One thing they were not, was uncomfortable.
There are some costumes designers whose first priority is look over comfort. There was never an uncomfortable moment in anyone's costumes. That's because when you plan to do hundreds of shows, you want your costume to be problem free. She had done the Olympics and for athletes you don't mess around. Your clothing is your skin and it needs to be free of any issues since competition is so intense. She really cared about everyone and made sure everyone was happy.
She was also very soft spoken and humble. She never put on airs the way some costume designers can. I remember one time in San Francisco she came for the opening. All the important people from the bay area would be there like George Lucas. But there were high winds that night and we all sat in our costumes listening to the tent shake, wondering whether it was even safe to put on a show. Cirque cancelled. There was an after party where Guy Laliberte became the show that replaced the show. He kept spirits high. Iko asked me if she could get a lift, so we drove back to our apartments. In the car she was her sweet and humble self, but in contrast with the after party, a little sad. Considering how famous and accomplished she already was, she really wanted her friends to see what she had done.
I think she always wanted people to know she depended on the kindness of friends and audiences. She spoke as if she was seeing the world with fresh eyes as if she was doing it for the first time. I told her it's hard to make everything fall into place and of course they will come and let you know. Small comfort. I guess not seeing them face to face was the big issue.
She never displayed pretension. When she worked with me, as with everyone, it was collaboration. I take no credit for her work, but her attention to detail made my work easier. I went through 4 costumes over 4 years at a cost of a few thousand per. When you put on 10 shows a week, nothing is going to last forever.
One time she came back to New York and I noticed in the audience my former bosses Julie Taymor and Elliot Goldenthal. They were watching the show and having a good time of it. They later went backstage to talk to Iko. Little did I know one of them was thinking of putting on a show with Iko. That would eventually become Spiderman. It would also be one of the last things on her endless list of credits. As many of you know that show was one of the most criticized productions in history, but the one thing that was never criticsized- in fact praised- were the costumes.
No surprise there. Julie had picked one of the few things that went right for her show.
 Iko's amazing costumes from Varekai |  myself in zoot suit purple |  With Jay Leno on the Tonight Show showing a wider selection of Iko's costumes |
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