Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1278299
Shiona Turini Boasting crystal clear waters and cerulean blue skies graced with white popcorn clouds, the island paradise of Bermuda is home to Shiona Turini. The resplendent 21 square miles located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean nourished an ideal childhood. Her earliest memories are of her mother's sense of style and the whole family dressing up to attend church on Sundays. Turini's mother and grand- mother were excellent seamstresses, but it was her god- mother who taught her to sew on an old Singer machine. The tropics are integral to Turini's fashion sensibilities … she is known for bright colors and patterns in refined classic styles, achieving a balance she calls 'playfully sophisticated.' Turini left Bermuda to attend Hampton University in Virginia, receiving a BA in mass communication/media stud- ies. Graduating, she moved to The Big Apple to make her mark on the editorial scene. A few months interning at Yves Saint Laurent in the public relations department led to three years as YSL's Assistant PR Director, where she worked under both Tom Ford and Stefano Pilati. Equipped with this wealth of elite tutorage, Turini developed an impressive vocation: writing and creating content for both digital and print mediums. Her extensive list of clients is studded by the who's who in fashion communication that kept her at the forefront of the editor/influencer generation. After years in fashion editorial, Turini launched a fierce freelance career focusing on commercial styling, music vid- eos, and red carpet. Working with entertainment royalty, she created looks for acclaimed music videos: Formation for Beyoncé, Solange Knowles' Don't Touch My Hair and Cranes in the Sky, and award-winning artist SZA's The Weekend, art directed by Knowles. As lead stylist for Nike's Equality cam- paign commercial, with the premise, "The ball should bounce the same for everyone, on or off the field," Turini worked with numerous champion star athletes of color. Excited to enter the realm of Costume Design, Turini joined hit HBO series Insecure last season and she's back designing season four. Costume Designing her first feature film Queen & Slim for Universal Pictures, earned Turini a Costume Designers Guild Award nomination in the Best Contemporary Costumes category. A resident in NYC, she is an active member of both New York's United Scenic Artists (Local 829) and Los Angeles' Costume Designers Guild (Local 892). Roland Sanchez Working his way through college at a hospital while he attended Cal State Fullerton showed Roland Sanchez that he didn't want to utilize his degree in psychology in a conventional way. A job at Neiman Marcus in the hosiery department with its A-list clientele led him to become more and more interested in fashion. Being around his roommate Christopher Ciccone, who was directing music videos at the time, also exposed and influenced Sanchez to the creative process. Soon, he was approached to style commercial photo shoots, then a friend got him a job as a production assistant on the film Blade, and he was on his way. Judianna Makovsky and Lisa Tomczeszyn took Sanchez in, inspired and taught him the importance of design and organization on a large scale. He gained invaluable experi- ence and incentive assisting other talented designers like Mona May, Joe Aulisi, Judy Ruskin, Milena Canonero, and the marvelous Bob Ringwood. "Bob's mentoring and friendship changed my life," says Sanchez. "Assisting him as he created wonderful worlds of characters was the most important influ- ence that led me to design myself." When asked by producers to take over designing the series Lost, Sanchez had the con- fidence to do it. "That was a big undertaking for a first-time designer," he relates, "but with a fantastic crew, we built and expanded on wonderful characters from all walks of life." Sanchez admits it's difficult to pinpoint his most mean- ingful project as they're all so unique and special. "Lost was a wonderful challenge and the crew became family. The mini-series 11.22.63 was inspiring to design, with a phenomenal workroom, delightful cast, and muse like Sarah Gadon, we were able to create a Stephen King 1960s journey." A product of German and Spanish-American parents, Sanchez is inspired by travel and everyday people. "I try to enter the character's mindset. Who are they? What is their socioeconomic situation? What is their cultural history?" Coming full circle, Sanchez uses his psychology degree, every time he reads a script. Summer 2020 The Costume Designer 29 Photo: Insecure, HBO Photo: Mayans M.C. FX