Words by Helena Alge

How Clothes Speak: In Conversation with Bina Daigeler

Costume is never just surface. It moves between body and image, between fiction and identity, quietly shaping how a character is seen before a single word is spoken. In the work of Oscar nominated costume designer Bina Daigeler, clothing becomes a narrative system that draws from fashion, film and cultural codes to translate emotion into something visible. In this conversation, we talk about her most recent project "Rosebush Pruning", the intimacy of collaborating with directors and actors, and the subtle decisions of fabric, color and silhouette that turn garments into storytelling tools.

Helena Alge: Tell me, Bina, how did you get into costume design?

Bina Daigeler: Well, I did an apprenticeship as a tailor in a costume rental house in Munich, and through that I met costume designers and found the profession very attractive and exciting. Then a costume designer asked me whether I wanted to work with her, and I did that after finishing my training. That is how I slowly worked my way up, from assistant to wardrobe mistress, through all the different positions, until I eventually did costume design myself.

Was there a specific moment you remember when it became clear to you: I have this vision, I want to do this? Was there a key moment?

Basically, it all happened very organically. For me, the most important thing was that I really enjoyed the transition from school into working life. The creative and the practical, hands-on approach simply matched me much more than school had before. 

I enjoyed the tailoring apprenticeship, especially because it was in a costume rental house and I wasn’t only sewing, but also had a lot of contact with customers. That was great. At the same time, I also started watching films more consciously and really saw that this was a form of visual art that appealed to me very much. Through that, it simply developed in this direction.

At what point does a costume become more than just part of the set or equipment for you? When does it become part of the narration?

For me as a costume designer, of course, from the very first moment. I also think that a good costume fitting is incredibly important for actors in order to find their role. It often happens that actors have their first contact on set with me or with the costume designer working on the project.

My vision, of course, has been prepared through many conversations with the director beforehand – conversations the actor often hasn’t had, because they didn’t have time during preparation or because everyone is in different places. Especially when you work internationally, the actor might be in London, the director in America, and they often meet much later, while fittings with me have already been happening for weeks.

That is why costume design is incredibly important from the beginning. I’m practically the creative tool for the director and the actor to find themselves and to bring the script to life. That is why we have a very close connection and an intense exchange.

Does this collaboration with the actors also flow into the costume? Is a role clearly defined beforehand, and the costume is designed accordingly, or does something personal from the actors also flow into the costume?

I think many personalities flow into it. Every costume designer has their own language, their own way of working, of being creative and designing. 

The situation is very different between contemporary and historical films. With historical films, you have an era, and often, as the costume designer, you are the person who knows the most about that period. With contemporary films, it’s often about creating emotional worlds, and then it really matters how the actor feels in the costume, how they can move and express themselves.

So I take the actors into account very much, but of course always with the script and the director as the priority.

What can a costume express that might not be explicitly written in the script?

It’s about emotions. With colors, textures, and the way a costume falls, whether it is flowing or rather stiff, you can express so much. Is it more sensual, or is it buttoned-up?

When you are on the subway and you look at people, everyone expresses something through the way they dress. And it’s different every day: one day you want to wear black, the next maybe pink. There are many emotional nuances that you can express through costume, and in my opinion they are very, very important.

Is there an example from your latest project, "Rosebush Pruning", where we can discover a detail that particularly underlines a character?

If we take Rosebush Pruning as an example: It is about an American family with a lot of money. A wealthy Spanish family would never dress like that. They are very fashion-conscious, but also superficial and chaotic.

The director, Karim Aïnouz, has a very colourful and intense cinematic language, and the script is also very intense. All of that influenced my costume design.

It was not just about dressing the family in high fashion like Chanel or Bottega Veneta, but about giving them a very specific personal style. I tried to make the chaos and dysfunctionality within the family visible, and to give the film a visual language through that – one that connects with the production design, camera, and lighting to form a complete whole.

You’ve worked with directors like Jim Jarmusch, Pedro Almodóvar, Wim Wenders and Karim Aïnouz, who have very distinct aesthetics. How do you adapt to that?

I prepare for it. Most directors have a longer filmography, and I have seen many of their films. So I know how Pedro Almodóvar works compared to Jim Jarmusch – those are completely different worlds. Of course, I take that into account.

I let it affect me and try to translate it in a way that everything fits together harmoniously. A costume designer creates designs and mood boards and presents visual ideas to the director, so that you can define a direction together.

Do you feel personally connected to the characters you work on?

Yes, absolutely. But it’s essential to remain open. As a costume designer, you cannot judge the character or the actor.

Take the character played by Riley Keough in Rosebush Pruning, one might easily label her as “crazy.” But that’s not how I approach it. I have to accept the character as she is, without judgment. That openness is crucial. Even if I feel closer to some characters than others, I have to approach all of them with the same level of care, creativity, and empathy.

Would you say that comes with a sense of responsibility?

Yes, absolutely. It’s a professional responsibility, to serve the project and ensure the result feels truthful and complete.

Does your work influence how you dress personally?

In a way, yes, but mostly it has the opposite effect. I often just wear jeans and a T-shirt because I don’t have the energy to think about my own clothes.

That said, I do notice subtle influences. If I’m working on a visually muted film, I won’t dress in bright colours. When I’m working with Pedro, I might lean towards something more vibrant. Otherwise, I keep things quite simple. My work demands so much mental space that I prefer not to think too much about my own appearance.

You were nominated for an Oscar for "Mulan" in 2021. Do you remember that moment and what it felt like?

Yes, very clearly. It was during the pandemic. I was in Berlin, working with my assistant, and we watched the announcement over Zoom. We were, of course, incredibly happy. We tried to celebrate as best we could under the circumstances, even though it wasn’t easy with all the restrictions in place.

A nomination like that is very special. But I try not to focus too much on it. I prefer to concentrate on the work itself, on the process. Awards are wonderful, of course, but what happens afterwards is often beyond your control. So I focus on the present.

Finally, what advice would you give your younger self, or young creatives starting out today?

My advice would be: approach every project with joy. I never set out with a specific career goal. Instead, I looked for collaborations with directors and scripts that felt right for me.

That’s where I put my energy. Fixating too much on a particular destination doesn’t really work in this field. And when I catch myself doing that, I consciously try to let go of it.

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