Meet Lindsey Kear | The Costume Consultant & Costume Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lindsey Kear and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lindsey, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
Being able to give back to people. This is really what inspired me to start The Costume Consultant. I’ve felt for the past few years that I wanted to “do more” and had a higher calling. I wasn’t quite sure what that looked like. Volunteering has been difficult due to the grueling hours and travel due to movie making. This weighed heavy on my heart but I wasn’t sure how I could incorporate it into my life. The Costume Consultant is not only a job with a flexible schedule and a consultant fee. It is giving people the emotional support they need to move their careers to places they want to go. It also gives people who are trying to break into the costume / movie industry a path into the “secret society”.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

My career has not been a straight line. It’s been an evolution. Everything I am doing today with The Costume Consultant has had the foundation built with 15 years of working in costumes.

I’ve always tried to meet with inquiring minds who want to know more about the industry. Some of those meetings have been great and some not so great. I never wanted to stop meeting people though. I’ve always had the drive to help people around me. Sometimes it has been to my own detriment but I’m a work in progress. I come from a place of wanting everyone around me to succeed. I’ve never looked at recommending colleagues for jobs as something threatening or lacking. There is such an abundance of content being made, There is work for everyone! I want to be friends with people who will bring my name up in a room full of opportunities. I try to do the same for others.

A problem we face is that there can be a certain level of toxicity within the movie making industry. Some people have chosen to continue this type of treatment towards others as they’ve risen through the ranks because that is what happened to them. I’ve wanted to be part of the change. I never want people to feel belittled or invisible. The entire costume department is vital to making a movie or a tv show. Being kind / acknowledging people’s hard work makes them want to do a great job and come back the next day. I get to know people on the crew. I learn their names. I ask about their family and what they like to do for fun. I’ve worked hard to create that type of environment even though it moves at such a fast pace.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A friend came to town years ago and we had a fun filled week. We did a tour of Warner Brothers where I was working at the time. We got to explore the WB costume rental house there which is a warehouse filled with costumes from all different shows, periods, genres, etc. Disney Land was next on the list (she was a big fan). We then went out to the Integratron (www.integratron.com) for a sound bath in the desert. Followed by a night at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I’ve had some great mentors along the way.

Heidi Higginbotham was my first supervisor I’ve ever worked with. She trained me how to do well organized paperwork and receipts. She was extremely patient with me while learning Los Angeles prior to smart phones w/GPS. Both Heidi and Maya Lieberman (Costume Designer) helped keep me employed doing other side jobs while I worked as a low paying costume production assistant for years.

Askia Jacob has also been a wonderful mentor to me. She has helped me negotiate many of my deals (jobs). She is a big advocate for fellow costumers and is a wealth of knowledge.

My life coach Lee Dashti helped me bring The Costume Consultant to life. She spent hours with me reframing old stories I used to tell myself about what my limits are. She also was so generous with sharing her own information of how to set up a consulting business similar to her operations.

Since launching The Costume Consultant, my social media interns Nnenna and Gwyn have been vital as a support team.

Website: www.thecostumeconsultant.com www.lindseykear.com

Instagram: @thecostumeconsultant @LKstyles

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-kear-a657493/

Image Credits
Photos by Christina Hribar