Baby Reindeer has become part of the cultural lexicon after only 4 months of release, a staggering number of minutes watched later, water cooler conversations, and a genuine curiosity about the true story element. Costumes, especially well-sourced ones, can embody a compelling story like nothing else.
Clothes can make a person and in this case, make characters in desperate situations come alive. Mekel Bailey is one of those talented costume designers who add a level of authenticity and a “lived-in” quality that put the actors in a place where they could successfully perform these now iconic roles. Bailey recently connected with Immersive via Zoom.
[Note: The following conversation has been edited for clarity and length.]
How did you first get involved and what were your first impressions?
My first involvement with the show was being sent the script by my agent and her being like, “I feel this is our next big job, baby.” I read the script and straight away I was blown away by the story. It just touched upon so many things and with all the moral things in the story, socially, sexually, anything. There were so many layers to it that I think that this is the type of story I wanted to be involved in, so excited to create these characters as well.
It feels very modern, I think that’s probably possibly why it hit a nerve. So when did it occur to you that these were true events or based on true events?
I spoke to Richard Gadd and we had our little one-to-one, just getting to know each other, talk about the script, talk about the stories, and then that’s where I understood coming from him.
What was Richard like to work with?
He’s an amazing man. He’s a lovely guy. Such a dream to work with in every way. He made me get inside my head as a designer to understand the characters, you know what I mean? That’s what he brought to this.
What were your inspirations for starting work on this project?
All the inspiration came from people-watching. So I’d go around my area, sometimes sit in a park, taking these everyday people. Some of it came from inspiration from my old school head teacher. Then some came from old films, Trainspotting, and Misery. Then there was the TV shows and Harry Potter. It was just trying to get as many references from every real medium or anything I’ve seen sort. Do you know what I mean? It also then has to be real.
I didn’t want it to be too far as a fantasy that I’m drawing references from. It still had to be things that I could somewhat relate to in some way. And that was it. And then once we had our tone meetings to understand the color palettes, that was then taking at that next deeper level as to understanding where do we need to go with that.
Are there any particular items that stood out? Like hats, coats, or anything particular that you’re like, oh wow.
Well, it’s more like the Richard suit as well. In the comedy suit, we found the fabric, we got it made, and it was like breaking it down. So even though people look at it and think, oh, you just got this made, but then we had to fray it at the edges, had to dirt it down, spraying it, add a bit of that texture to it, and that reality to it, make it look a bit broken in. So ,that was a fun element.
Also, with Martha, the fun factor with Martha was the charity side and the secondhand shopping. Somewhat doing the opposite of what most designers do, either getting it made or buying it or hiring it. This was just a way of let’s be ethical here but not purposely done. It was a trial and error going to charity shops, charity shop of finding these unique, one-of-a-kind pieces all around the pockets of London somewhat.
You still find these gems, and you’re like, where could I get that shirt ever again? It’s never going to happen. It’s like obscure brands, not everything’s listed online. Everyone thinks everything’s online. Try and find a shirt that you used to own. You just can’t.
So that was the joyous part of it. I think especially with creating Martha’s character, that was fun, it was a journey. It was a journey to find those things. Every time you found something else, it would somewhat feed another idea to build this crazy character somewhere.
And some of the other cast like Nava Mau. How’d you two build that character together?
I remember the initial kind of storyboard or mood board which we then developed with Nava Mau’s character, Teri. It was such a juxtaposition, but it then became, we realized it was about playing into the colors. She was this pop of energy into his life. So when you first meet Teri, she’s got the green crop top, or these oranges and these pinks. She’s always this fun element to him. And then the mini skirts and the boots. There’s this kind of baby doll element, but then the contrast to her is then when she’s in her own space and home, she’s still very put together based on her job. So she’s kind of this element of stillness, but energy into Donnie’s life.
How much would you say you found versus how much you made?
I would say, well, 90 to 95% was sourced and found. Through the whole show and not just Mark, it was everybody. All the other actors, all the principals, all the essays, everything. Who was a charity shop, and then I would say probably 1%, 2% would be online, and that would be undergarments, underwear, and things like that. And then, obviously Donny’s suit, that was made from scratch.
The suit’s incredible. It’s funny, this show is so popular that everything in it is kind of iconic now.
It’s still mind-blowing. It was never a dream that this would happen. I’m not used to this. I’m really not. It is another world to me. I’m still finding it very weird and unusual. Still to this day, I’m still getting people like, oh my God, my friend did Baby Reindeer.
It’s also great for your work to be noticed, and I guess because it is a contemporary show, and especially it’s made waves across the sea in America and Spain and Europe and all these other countries. So it is great for those reasons as a designer that people can see British work, celebrate that, see a British story, and understand what’s gone into it. I’m just happy for everyone. It’s a team effort.
What was it like being nominated for an Emmy?
I don’t think it’s still sunk in. I was getting my hair cut when it happened, and I was like, put my phone away, because I started to watch it live and I put it away. Then all of a sudden my phone kept vibrating, my phone kept vibrating, and I was like, oh my God. Yeah, it’s mind-boggling. It really is.
Just, again, to even be nominated is enough to be recognized in that way is beyond a dream come true. There are no words that can put into context how it’s made me feel over the last, I guess, a week or so. But just proud, proud of myself, proud of my team, and it makes me know that dreams are possible, that if you keep working and keep working, you keep working, that hey, sometimes your work will be recognized when it’s meant to be.
Baby Reindeer is available to stream on Netflix.
