Juliana Dede has been in the Nigerian film industry for over 15 years as a costume designer. Known for her creativity and attention to detail, she has been the designer of a lot of Nollywood films such as Collison Course by Bap Productions (director by Bolanle Austen Peters), released on Netflix 2022; 93 Days – Native Film Works (Director – Steve Lukas); Do Good – MNet; Bing Lagosian – Netflix

Bap Productions (Director – Bolanle Austen Peters); Wire Wire – Bap Productions (Director – Bolanle Austen Peters); Funmilayo Ransome Kuti – Biopic – Amazon 2024- Bap Productions (Director – Bolanle Austen Peters); and award-winning films such as Man Of God – Netflix Original. 2022 – Bap Productions (Director – Bolanle Austen Peters); and House Of Ga’a – Bap Productions (Director – Bolanle Austen Peters). and other notable productions in the Nigerian film industry.

Speaking on her craft, the award-winning designer said her work always starts with a deep reading of the script. Costume design goes beyond dressing actors, it is a form of storytelling through fabric, colour and shape.
After reading the script, she breaks down the character’s lifestyle, emotional changes and social background. She also studies the actor’s past roles and physical appearance to help match the character’s visual identity with the actor’s strengths.

Dede recalls facing technical problems when some historically correct costumes limited actors’ movement. To solve this, she adjusted the inside structure of the garments while keeping their original look, allowing actors to move freely without losing authenticity.
She says, “understanding the background, emotions and journey of each character is the foundation of good costume design.”

According to her, costumes affect posture, movement and gestures. Heavy clothes can slow movement and show authority, while fitted clothes can boost confidence and upright posture.
“There is a strong link between costume and confidence. When actors feel good in what they wear, they perform better,” she reveals.

One of her most difficult tasks involve creating a costume change that showed a character’s emotional growth while keeping continuity. She achieved this through small changes in colour, fabric and structure.
Reflecting on the industry, Dede said costume design has become more collaborative and research-based, with the help of digital tools, modern fabrics and better tailoring methods.

Her main goal, she said, is for viewers to believe in the characters without being distracted by what they wear.
“I want the characters to feel real. The audience should focus on the story, not the clothes,” she said.
According to her, every strong screen performance begins with a careful visual process that helps actors fully understand and express their characters.

One of her most memorable experiences was during the production of House of Ga’a, especially while designing the costume for Shashaleniyan, Gaa’s juju man. Instead of using the usual costume style for such a role, she and her team created a unique and powerful look to match the character’s special authority.

“I read the script carefully to know who the character is and what they go through. Then I study the actor – their posture, body language and natural style – and create a look that feels real and meaningful,” she said.
She described her research process as detailed and layered, involving historical and cultural studies, social context and character psychology. According to her, costumes must be visually correct and emotionally meaningful.

She also explained that fabric choice is very important, especially in historical films and biopics. The weight, texture and movement of fabrics affect how actors move and behave on screen.
“Fabric can show power, weakness, status or spirituality. When chosen well, it supports performance and storytelling,” she said.

House of Ga’a earned her her first major award as a costume designer, a moment she described as encouraging and motivating. She said her creative process always returns to script reading, research, teamwork and improvement.

She also highlighted Man of God, another film by Bolanle Austen Peters, where costume was central to the success of the story. The characters’ journeys and changes were closely tied to how they looked. Through costume, status, belief systems and emotional shifts were clearly shown, helping actors fully become their roles.