We were lucky to catch up with Zoë Trautmann recently and have shared our conversation below.
Zoë, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
My first degree was in business management. I started college when I was 16 and I felt like I needed the most practical and universally applicable degree I could get. I had always wanted to be an artist or creative, but at that time I didn’t feel like I could afford to pursue something so impractical. I started my own Etsy business selling antiques and vintage items for artists to repurpose or collectors to collect. It was really fun at first- the hunting and curation of it all. I did that for about 8 years. But the amount of stock I had to maintain and the customer service was draining after a while. I was doing something creative, but really wanted to be more of a creator. I went back to school to pursue a new career once I had more stability and gave myself permission to reacquaint myself with the Theatre, a passion that dated back to my infancy. My grandma worked in the theatre as a Wig and Makeup artist and some of my earliest and most dazzling memories are of the theatre. Once I started down that path again, nothing could stop me.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m currently work primarily in theatre but also in other forms of performing arts/live entertainment. On a smaller project, I am responsible for not only the vision for every costume- but also the hands on execution of every detail. On a larger project, I have assistants and an entire costume shop working with me as a team to bring my vision to life. My creative process is very character driven. Many costume designers have a passion for fashion. I actually feel the opposite way- I’m all about the psychology, characters and the story. Clothes are just the medium I use to paint the characters in a story. It’s a very powerful medium, but it all starts with the character within for me. The discussions I have with the director about the character’s ambitions or values, or the feelings I get when I see the actor portraying a character out of costume are more powerful than any inspiration photo or fabric swatch.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
When I very first started studying costume design, I had a notion that there was a “right answer” for each costume. Like it was something you were trying to get objectively right There are definitely wrong answers- designs that betray the goals of a production or betray the performer. But there is no “right answer”. Many different designers might come up with their own different brilliant solutions for a costume. So it’s all about the right fit for a specific production, a specific team and what works for that show. Trying to find the right answer for your production. It’s part of what makes theatre so thrilling- every production really is completely unique and I love just giving my full creativity to that exact production, cast, creative team, time and space.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I want to work more new places with more new people. One of the best parts of this industry is how unique every theatre can be. Each community in each city has it’s own flavor and there’s a million more theatres I haven’t worked at yet and cities I haven’t worked in yet and I’m excited to see 5-10 years from now, how many more new places I will have worked and who I will have worked with.
Contact Info:
- Website: zoetrautmann.com
- Instagram: zoecostumes
Image Credits
Karli Cadel, Manuel Rotenburg, Tim Hardy