Costume designer Sandy Powell wins BAFTA Fellowship

At this year’s BAFTA Film Awards renowned British costume designer, Sandy Powell was honoured with the prestigious BAFTA Fellowship accolade.

Powell, known for her period films from The Favourite and Shakespeare in Love to fantasy productions including Mary Poppins Returns and Cinderella, to Wolf of Wall Street, The Irishman and Velvet Goldmine, became the first costume designer to be awarded BAFTA’s highest honour.

In a statement, BAFTA said that Powell was recognised for her “outstanding and exceptional contribution to film” as her visual masterpieces have spanned three-and-a-half decades of some of the most iconic films of the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries and have garnered multiple awards.

Commenting on the honour, Powell said in a statement: “I am hugely flattered to receive the BAFTA Fellowship and especially proud to be the first costume designer. I am lucky in that I love what I do and have been extremely fortunate to have collaborated with some of the most talented and inspirational people in the industry both behind and in front of the camera. I look forward to many more years to come.”

Jane Millichip, chief executive at BAFTA, added: “Sandy Powell is not only a great designer, she is a great storyteller. Her costumes are mesmerising in their beauty, but they also interpret the narrative brilliantly and provide the infrastructure for character.

“For more than three decades, Sandy has raised awareness for the craft of costume design in film and provided a spotlight for designers in the act of filmmaking.”

As well as winning the Fellowship, Powell will also work closely with the arts charity over the coming year to inspire and nurture aspiring costume designers through BAFTA’s year-round learning, inclusion and talent programmes.