Sammy Sheldon

Sammy Sheldon Differ (also credited as Sammy Sheldon and Sammy Howarth-Sheldon) is a British costume designer known for her work in film, specializing in fantasy and superhero genres. Differ has been nominated for multiple awards, including BAFTAs, Saturn Awards, and Costume Designers Guild Awards.

Early life and education Born and raised in Rhodes, Manchester, England, Differ developed an interest in costume design after seeing Star Wars at the age of 10. She studied at Rochdale College, and gained work experience at the Royal Exchange Theatre, before studying costume design at the Wimbledon School of Art.

Career Differ designed costumes for music videos early in her career. It was during this time she met costume designer Janty Yates, who hired her as an assistant on Plunkett and Macleane, and then Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000).

Differ's design process often involves painting, drawing and extensive research. Her work on Stardust (2007) established her reputation within the fantasy genre Assassin's Creed presented the challenge of adapting video game costumes for film, requiring her to consider the aesthetics of the original character and the practicality of the costumes for the actors.

Differ has worked on several Marvel Cinematic Universe films: Ant-Man (2015), Eternals (2021) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). For Ant-Man, she opted for leather instead of spandex to create a more tactile and nostalgic feel for the superhero suit, referencing 1960s biker suits.

In 2014, Differ was nominated for a Costume Designers Guild Award for the costumes for Ex Machina, a critically acclaimed science fiction thriller. Differ explained how the costumes for Alicia Vikander's character were "incredibly intricate, going far beyond what you’d expect to have to deal with on, say, a Lycra bodysuit. I used a stretchy polyurethane with metal powder poured onto it to create the mesh, which covered her entire body". and incorporating subtle colours, textures and prints.

In 2012, Differ became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Awards and nominations