Meet Sharon Gilham — the costume designer behind The Wheel of Time episodes

Sharon Gilham is a storyteller who speaks through fabric and texture — a renowned costume designer for major film and television productions. She dives deeply into research for each character and creates impeccably crafted costumes that bring fictional worlds to life.

This season, Prague has the rare opportunity to step directly into Sharon’s creative universe by visiting the Fashion & Fantasy exhibition showcasing iconic costumes from The Wheel of Time.

In this interview, Sharon opens up about the beginnings of her career, her creative process, and her experience working in Prague alongside local artisans.

What first inspired you to pursue costume design?

I came to this world in a very roundabout way. I studied German and Spanish at university straight from school, and it wasn’t until I was in my late 20s living in Madrid when I decided to change my career. I was part of an English-speaking theatre company and was making costumes for the shows. I remember sitting at my sewing machine and thinking, “I wonder if this is a job you can get paid to do…?”

Her costumes for The Wheel of Time redefine what grounded fantasy can look like — rich, believable, and deeply human.

Could you share how your journey in film and television began?

Well, as I said, it wasn’t until my late 20s that I decided to launch into a new career. I had no qualifications in art or anything to do with design and making, so I did lots of evening classes in the UK to teach myself drawing, 3D design and printmaking, and gradually built up a portfolio. After a couple of years of this, I applied to art school and did a degree in costume and theatre design — and I got in! I was very excited.
When I finished art school, I was lucky enough to meet a costume designer, Verity Hawkes, and I became her assistant and supervisor. One of the first films we worked on was Guy Ritchie’s Snatch, starring Brad Pitt, Stephen Graham and Jason Statham.

Which era in fashion, theatre, or film inspires you the most for your designs?

Every period is interesting. I absolutely love the start of the job when you do a deep dive into research for the period, culture or place. It’s like time travelling.

How do you balance historical references, fantasy elements, and original storytelling in your designs?

It really depends on the project you’re working on. The Wheel of Time is based on a series of books by Robert Jordan, an American author. His books contain a huge amount of description about the cultures and what people wear, so that was a rich source of material.

I always describe the show, its costumes and its settings as “grounded fantasy”. We want people to believe these characters really exist — in a different dimension.
Storytelling in costume is always incredibly important for me as a costume designer: it all starts with the character and how they fit into the film or show. Everything I design is there to serve the character. 

How would you describe your design philosophy?

Be thorough in research; keep looking for more even when you think you have everything. Allow the story to seep into your consciousness. Encourage others to share in your process. Collaborate with actors. Have fun.

You are a costume designer for the TV adaptation of The Wheel of Time. How did you approach creating unique visual identities for the different cultures in the episodes?

The starting point is obviously the script and the source material. From this, I created moodboards and started defining the silhouette and colour palette, adding cultural, fashion and historical information. These aspects were very important — especially the colours and visual language or iconography — as they help the audience understand where the characters are at any moment, and not become confused by the many new cultures and environments.

Technology fuels the future of costume design, but Sharon reminds us that true magic still lives in human hands.

Could you share which costume was particularly challenging and rewarding to create?

One of the first costumes I created was the Seanchan soldier costume. The showrunner, Rafe Judkins, asked me to create “an army like no one has ever seen before”. Not an easy task as a first job! This was followed by High Lady Suroth, a member of the aristocracy from the same culture, with her “insect-like” headdress and visor and a huge kimono with a dramatic reptilian print inspired by the British fashion designer Alexander McQueen.

You collaborated with local Czech artisans while working on The Wheel of Time. What was this experience like?

I consider myself extremely lucky to have been able to spend nearly four years in Prague working on such a huge and deeply creative production. The wealth of talent here is quite exceptional from tailors, cutters and seamstresses to leather workers, dyers, textile artists, dressers, breakdown artists and costume props makers. We managed to communicate despite my terrible Czech! We had a common language of what was needed.
I am proud and delighted to be showing so many beautiful costumes together in one place, celebrating the work of my Czech and international team who put in long hours of high-quality and detailed work.

How do you see the future of costume design evolving with new technology?

I think some of the new technologies in costume design — 3D printing, for example — are incredibly exciting. It’s important to keep your eyes open, your ear to the ground, and always be open to new techniques. But I also absolutely love and appreciate traditional craftsmanship done by hand, which will always inspire and impress me. These people are magicians!

Would you like to share some of your future projects with the MAGPAPER audience?

I can’t say very much about it, but I’m currently preparing another big fantasy project. We are also hoping to be able to tour the exhibition in other countries in Europe and around the world. We’re not done yet!

Fashion & Fantasy is open till December 5. Don’t miss your chance to see Sharon Gilham work in real life.

Tickets