Kate Hawley

Kate Hawley is a New Zealand costume designer and set designer. Her film credits include Pacific Rim, Crimson Peak (2015), Suicide Squad (2016), and Frankenstein (2025), where she won an Academy Award and BAFTA Award for her work on the latter.

On stage, Hawley created the sets and costumes for various productions at the Royal New Zealand Ballet, the New Zealand Festival, and the New Zealand Opera.

Biography Hawley grew up in Wellington, New Zealand. She attended Samuel Marsden Collegiate School from 1982-1988, where she created costumes, props and scenery for local and school productions. She enrolled at the Wellington School of Design at Wellington Polytechnic, graduating in 1992 with a Diploma in Visual Communication Design. In 1996, she received a scholarship to study at the Motley Theatre Design Course in London. She has taught at Toi Whakaari The New Zealand Drama School.

Hawley's theatre and opera credits as costume or set designer include productions of The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead for Auckland Theatre Company in 2006; Lucia di Lammermoor for New Zealand Opera in 2007; The Trial of the Cannibal Dog for the New Zealand International Arts Festival in 2008, and Hansel and Gretel for Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2019. In reviewing Lucia di Lammermoor, Pepe Becker wrote:The all-female leaders of the creative team (director Lindy Hume, assistant director Sara Brodie and production designer Kate Hawley) are to be congratulated for their outstanding and ingenious direction. Venturing away from the traditional sort of production one expects for a Donizetti work proves to be a good move.

In film, Hawley has worked as a crew member for Peter Jackson on The Lovely Bones and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and with Guillermo Del Toro as the costume designer on Pacific Rim (2013), Crimson Peak (2015) and Frankenstein (2025). Her other film credits include creating the costumes for Edge of Tomorrow (2014), Suicide Squad (2016), and Mortal Engines (2018).

Filmography Film Year Title Director Notes 2005 On a Clear Day Gaby Dellal 2009 The Lovely Bones Peter Jackson Additional costume designer 2012 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 2013 Pacific Rim Guillermo del Toro The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Peter Jackson Additional costume designer 2014 Edge of Tomorrow Doug Liman The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Peter Jackson Additional costume designer 2015 Crimson Peak Guillermo del Toro 2016 Suicide Squad David Ayer 2018 Mortal Engines Christian Rivers 2020 The Call of the Wild Chris Sanders 2021 Chaos Walking Doug Liman 2025 Frankenstein Guillermo del Toro

Television YearTitleNotes 2022 The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 8 episodes

Awards and nominations Major associations Academy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 2026 Best Costume Design Frankenstein

BAFTA Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.British Academy Film Awards 2026 Best Costume Design Frankenstein

Emmy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.Primetime Emmy Awards 2023 Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Miscellaneous awards + Award Year Category Title Result Ref. Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards 2025 Best Costume Design Frankenstein Astra TV and Creative Arts Awards 2023 Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Costumes The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Capri Hollywood International Film Festival 2026 Best Costume Design Frankenstein Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards 1993 Costume Designer of the Year Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2025 Best Costume Design Frankenstein Costume Designers Guild Awards 2016 Excellence in Period Film Crimson Peak 2023 Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Television The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 2026 Excellence in Period Film Frankenstein Critics' Choice Awards 2026 Best Costume Design Empire Awards 2016 Best Costume Design Crimson Peak Fangoria Chainsaw Awards 2026 Best Costume Design Frankenstein The Fashion Awards 2025 Costume Designer of the Year Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards 2025 Best Costume Design Middleburg Film Festival 2025 Special Achievement in Costume Design Award Online Film Critics Society Awards 2026 Best Costume Design San Diego Film Critics Society Awards 2025 Best Costume Design Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2026 Variety Artisans Award Satellite Awards 2026 Best Costume Design Saturn Awards 2016 Best Costume Design Crimson Peak 2026 Frankenstein Seattle Film Critics Society Awards 2025 Best Costume Design St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards 2025 Best Costume Design