Eiko Ishioka, celebrated costume designer for film and theatre, passed away two weeks ago at the age of 73. Her success as a costume designer came toward the end of a long career including stints in graphic design and advertising. Ishioka won an Oscar for her costumes in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and became a frequent collaborator with film director Tarsem, designing for all four of his films: The Cell, The Fall, Immortals, and the upcoming Mirror Mirror.

Her surreal and elaborate designs added immeasurably to the look of the films she worked on, often taking place in fantasy worlds or the subconscious. She could create the stuff of nightmares or provide the perfect outfit for a daydream.

Her Oscar-winning work for Bram Stoker’s Dracula was also the only time she was nominated. Who can forget Gary Oldman’s double-bun?



Her clothes for The Cell appeared deliberately uncomfortable and drew influence from torture devices and fetish wear—fitting for a film that takes place almost entirely inside the mind of a serial killer.

In her next film with Tarsem, The Fall, Ishioka mixed international styles to vividly illustrate a child’s imagination.

A scene from Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters

Ishioka excelled in creating fantastical designs, this time outfitting Greek gods for Tarsem’s Immortals.

Goodbye Eiko Ishioka. The world will be a little less surreal without you.

text by Daniel Reis

The world will be a little less radical without you.

The world will be a little less glamorous without you.

When I heard the news that Edmonton’s Nokomis Clothing would be closing at the end of January, I was more than a little sad. The store has long been one of my favourite places in the city to find both clothing and inspiration. Owner Jessica Kennedy states that economics are the reason for Nokomis’ closure, the recession making it no longer feasible to keep the store open and running. Nokomis is known for stocking exclusively Canadian made and designed clothing — including its own house line up until Fall 2009 — and in its eight years of existence, it has become a fixture in the Canadian independent fashion scene. The store has provided an artistic, friendly place for independent Canadian designers (and publications like WORN) to reach the Edmonton market.

Nokomis, you will be missed. Thank you for being so great at doing what you did.

- Hailey Siracky