Euphoria is a cultural phenomenon from Zendaya's big break in an Emmy-winning role as Rue, the drug-addicted teen struggling with her trauma and mental health, in a world of teenagers and their secret lives. From issues around sexuality and identity, camming for bitcoin and the cycle of abusive relationships, the characters in the show are very complex and dynamic.
The costume design reflects just that, as Heidi Bivens was very intentional to do in her role as a costume designer for the show. Bivens is a rare jack of all trades, working in the industry in multiple modalities from journalism to being a celebrity stylist and landing the many gigs as a customer designer, such as for Euphoria. Who knew that her work on the show would turn into a ripple effect of trends from the cut-out bootcut pants and tennis skirts.
While fans wait patiently for season 3 of Euphoria and await more trends that will spike from the show, learn about the costume designer behind the viral style.
Who Is Heidi Bivens
Bivens moved to New York for college, and was entering fashion magazines because she wanted to be a journalist, but fell in love with the film. This unique educational background set her up for storytelling within the film industry, and she takes a lot of inspiration from the time she spent living in New York in the '90s, which shows strongly in her work on the movies Mid90s, Spring Breakers and of course in Euphoria.
The designer has a way of working with actors and directors to tell a story about a character just by the way that they express themselves. Especially with Euphoria, Bivens wanted the character's clothes to represent them and evolve with them throughout the show.
Creating Looks & Doing Research
To get the characters of Euphoria right, Bivens did her research. She wanted the characters to represent everyday people, so she took to the streets to study street style and what actual teens are wearing.
Her research did not come back as expected, many teens in public schools are not being creative with their style and are looking more to conform to what is perceived as cool. That makes Euphoria stick out in different ways as the characters do get creative, but in a way that makes trends.
The translation of how everyday teens dress in collaboration with representing the character's evolution is a fine line that was perfectly executed. The actors were very involved with helping Bivens create looks for their characters, including mood boards and writing in personal style points.
The Collaborative Process
Alexa Demie was very involved with the creative process of her character Maddy Perez, she had many mood boards that were pulled from old Hollywood icons like Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, that Bivens would turn around and make modern and reflect youthful vibes.
Some standout collab moments from Demie include the fur coat in season one, which was written into the script and made custom for Demie as she is a huge fan of the film Casino and Sharon Stone's character. Also, the two-piece crystal outfit that Maddy wears to the prom in season one was custom made with Swarovski crystals.
Rue was also inspired by Zendaya's personal style, as she embraces androgynous clothes and they explore Rue's non-binary vibes.
Other characters with a very vibrant wardrobes include Barbie Feierra's character Kat and Hunter Schaffer's character Jules.
Iconic Looks & Products From Euphoria
Jules is presented in the scripts as an anime character with both Sam Levison, the show's creator wanting her to seem like Sailor Moon. For Bivens, it was important for Jules to evolve through her fashion expression as a trans-teen, especially with her complicated relationship with wanting to please men in season 1.
Towards the end of season 1 when Jules begins to make healthier choices and continues to do so in season 2, her character stops wearing so many cutesy fem outfits and begins to come into her own style that gives less of herself.
With Kat, the character also comes into her own in a different way. When the character begins exploring her sexuality and making money via camming, the character dresses with more of a bondage-style and edgier looks.
An important product on the Euphoria set is the Nano Blurr makeup product, which sets makeup and covers pores or blemishes while still letting your natural skin shine through. It gives the actors a glowing and natural completion, making this product a must-have if you want to complete your Euphoria looks at home.
Bivens may have already made a name for herself in her career and throughout Hollywood, but Euphoria will go down in fashion history.
