01. ABOUT THE ARTIST
KARINA ELFIMOVA
COSTUME DESIGNER
MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTISTCostume Design for Film, Theatre & Live ProductionsStory-driven. Production-aware.
I develop character-driven costume concepts that support the story and respond to practical production requirements.Available for freelance commissions, subcontracting and collaborations.Education: HSE Design 2023-2027
LET’S BUILD A WORLD TOGETHER
02. FIELD OF WORK
Costume solutions from concept to production.
I work with scripts, creative briefs and visual references to develop costume solutions that support a project’s narrative and visual direction. I help creative teams translate ideas into visual characters through costume, silhouette, texture and material.
CHARACTER & COSTUME DESIGN
Script analysis, character research, visual references and costume concepts.COSTUME SOURCING & ADAPTATION
Selecting and adapting existing garments to support the creative direction.BESPOKE COSTUME PIECES
Designing and constructing selected garments and story-critical costume elements.LIVE & PERFORMATIVE PROJECTS
Developing character costumes for theatre, festivals and visual performances.PRODUCTION COLLABORATION
Supporting costume preparation and coordinating with the creative team according to the agreed project scope.
03. MY APPROACH
Costume is more than what a character wears.
My process begins with a story: its characters, conflicts and atmosphere. Through silhouette, texture, colour and material, I translate narrative ideas into tangible images that belong to a larger visual world.
I am interested in the point where clothing becomes storytelling — where a detail can reveal what a character cannot say.
From brief to final look
HOW I WORK
Understand the brief → Develop the concept → Design and source → Prepare the costume → Collaborate with the team.
Every project requires a different balance of creative development, sourcing and construction. The scope of work is defined around the project’s needs.
04. SELECTED WORK
Four worlds. One question.
What can a costume reveal before a character speaks?
— THEATRE / SHOW: The Hattifatteners & SnufkinContrasting characters interpreted through costume.— FESTIVAL FORM: GLITCH CITIZEN
An abstract concept translated into a physical character.— FILM: U Koshki Boli, U Sobachki Boli
A story-critical garment shaped by grief and memory.— PERFORMANCE: ARACHNE
A mythological character explored through sculptural costume and jewellery.
CASE STUDY № 1
05. THE HATTIFATTENERS & SNUFKIN
THEATRICAL COSTUME DESIGN
The challenge
How can two contrasting characters communicate different relationships with the world while belonging to the same theatrical production?
The design response
The Hattifatteners represent silence, anonymity and collective identity. Snufkin embodies independence, movement and resistance to imposed rules. I approached the characters through their psychological and conceptual differences, using costume as a way to make their contrasting identities visible.
The result
The developed character looks demonstrate how costume can distinguish personalities while contributing to a shared visual concept.
PROJECT DEMONSTRATES
Character interpretation · Visual contrast · Costume as part of a shared production concept
CASE STUDY № 2
06. GLITCH CITIZEN
FESTIVAL CHARACTER COSTUME FOR ''AFISHA PICNIC''
The challenge
How can an abstract idea become a recognisable physical character in a live-event environment?
GLITCH CITIZEN explores the experience of information overload and the tension between an individual and the rigid systems of the metropolis.
The design approach
Making digital distortion physical.
The costume translates the visual language of a glitch into a character.Distortion, repetition and visual noise become tools for creating a fragmented appearance that contrasts with the controlled environment around it.
The costume allows an abstract concept to exist as a physical presence rather than remain an image or an idea.
The result
The finished character costume provides a visual interpretation of information overload through silhouette, detail and overall appearance.
PROJECT DEMONSTRATES
Concept development · Visual translation · Character costume design · Work with a live-event brief
CASE STUDY № 3
07. «PAIN TO THE CAT, PAIN TO THE DOG»
