Costume Designer
Expressing Character Through Costume
Costume designer Michelle J. Li (CFA 2019) has a fresh take on what to wear on stage and screen, and she鈥檚 already 鈥渞acked up鈥� a resume outfitted with diverse and impressive credits.
Most recently, she designed costumes for the third season of Comedy Central鈥檚 鈥淎wkwafina Is Nora From Queens,鈥� Peacock鈥檚 鈥淢eet Cute鈥� with Kaley Cuoco and Pete Davidson, and the Sundance Film Festival award-winning mockumentary 鈥淭heater Camp."
Her work is also seen in the 2020 film 鈥淪hiva Baby,鈥� which won an Independent Spirit Award, and on the 2023 off-Broadway show 鈥淛OB,鈥� which The New York Times named a Critic鈥檚 Pick.
鈥淚 am a designer and a collaborator who is interested in analysis and creating visual structure from a character鈥檚 psyche with architectural precision," Michelle says.
Her approach to costume design stems from a love of fine art.
Though she always knew she鈥檇 pursue a creative career, theater wasn鈥檛 on her radar. She found her calling while pursuing her bachelor鈥檚 degree in drama with a focus on costume design.
鈥淚 quickly realized that I am fueled by the interpersonal communication that a costume designer has with the directors and actors,鈥� Michelle says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to me to be a generous collaborator who relishes in left-field ideas. I love seeing how unknown variables land and where they take the conversation.鈥�
Story by Elizabeth Speed