Today, we’d like to introduce you to Candice Bahe.
Hi Candice, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Hello, my name is Candice Vera Bahe, and I am an indigenous costume designer and fabricator for TV and film productions. I started helping my aunt sew clothes when I was very young. My mom and her sisters always had us doing some sort of craft from crochet, dream catchers, and beadwork. I grew up watching movies, reading fashion magazines, and listening to all genres of music. I always loved watching director/actor commentaries on DVDs and trying to copy hairstyles and outfits from my favorite movies.
In 2013, my sister and I started fashion design school at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. I quit my pharmacy tech job and got a job at Joann’s to do school full-time online. I never finished my degree and eventually had to return to my pharmacy tech job. 2015, I met my friend Matt Tucker, a production designer, and he noticed all the knitted and sewn clothes I would make on my Instagram/Facebook. He invited me to lunch one day and asked if I ever thought about doing costumes for movies, and the rest is history, lol.
He brought me to a Christmas movie in 2020, and I haven’t stopped since. I’ve worked as a costume designer, seamstress, tailor, fabricator, on-set costumer, buyer, PA, hair and makeup, and learned some special effects makeup.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
It’s been fairly smooth up until the end of 2023 with my health issues that landed me in the hospital. For a smooth road, being kind can you pretty far in this business. Many of my jobs have come from word of mouth or producers who continue to work with me. When I started, I had never worked with a “real” costume designer, so I had to learn many things independently and learn from each production.
I’ve made many mistakes but having a good attitude, learning, and moving forward is the best way to deal with them. Last year, I was so grateful to have finally worked with a lot of Utah’s amazing costume designers who I learned so much from. Every production is different, so my role changes often, from having one set job to doing five different jobs while on a time crunch. Every day is a challenge, which makes it fun most of the time.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an indigenous costume designer and fabricator for television, theater, and film. I specialize in handmaking costumes for certain characters and designing feature film looks for each character. I am known for custom costuming and hair and makeup. I sometimes get hired as all three on smaller short film productions. I am most proud of how I can help tell the story with the character’s costumes and heighten their characteristics with wardrobe pieces.
Having a background in fashion design and insane movie knowledge, I like to include fashion history or even clothing nods to older movies or characters that my directors appreciate. If something needs to be altered or even a quick article of clothing needs to be made, I have the equipment and expertise to run back to the costume trailer and whip something up.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I’ve only been in this industry for four years now and am still learning so much. I’ve tried to pull tricks from my life and theater clothing hacks I’ve learned into the film world.
What’s innovative to me is an old trick for another designer, so I would love to learn from more designers before I can see the big picture. AI is going to be a big shift so that will be interesting to see how it will pertain to my department.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @shinyprettyfox
