We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful David Méndez Mateu. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with David below.

Alright, David thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I always knew I was a creative person and never thought another option that could happen to me. It really felt organic for me to become a designer.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started as a menswear designer in different brands such as Marc by Marc Jacobs, Rag & Bone, DKNY and Pepe Jeans London. After a few years learning how to design clothe, I realized I needed to do something else than just design. I wanted to tell stories, through costumes. Because I always felt passionate about Theater and film I decided to follow my career as a Costume Designer. I went to study the MFA in Costume Design in UCLA, that is how I got into the industry. As a costume designer, the first thing I do is to read the script. The script is the most important tool for a costume designer., as is where we analise the story. After I read the script, I would start sketching. Those sketches are a reflection of the deep research previously done, character, design and on top of that the feeling, the visual soul of the people in the script. After those sketches are approved by directors, the next step would be to make the fabric selection to continue to build the designs. Thats its a huge bridge, where costume designs can maintain exactly the same as the original sketches, or can take a new narrative. Sometimes you find a specific fabric that adds something unexpected to the costume. fabrics add the texture and color to the designs. The weight of the fabric can depend not only of the season that the story is in, but can also be align of the personality and social class. After fittings are done, costumes would be made with the selected fabrics, and then, they would be prepared for the shootings. Previously, I also had done a costume design script breakdown, I think what really sets me apart in my field is my own imagination. The most direct result that is linked with my imagination, my taste, my story are my renderings. They are a reflection of the sensibility that I always offer to any project. Really how I connect and find the characters. I usually do everything by traditional painting which is not only a technical preference, but a way of how I see the world, how do I understand art and what do I believe is important in my work: uniqueness.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Yes, my mission is to always be able to understand the senior costume designers or directors I work with, and be able to add more than they can expect to their stories. My goal is to be able be support always the director´s vision.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding of being a costume designer is my passion towards my work. I feel, creative work should breath passion. Having that passion in my life is like to be enjoying every single minute of your life. That is why I decided I want to life with this kind of job, every day is an adventure.

Contact Info:

• Website: davidmendezmateu.com
• Instagram: davidmendezmateu
• Facebook: David Méndez Mateu
• Linkedin: David Méndez Mateu