The What
The Creature Shop collaborated with Creative Director Jeremy Scott for Moschino’s Spring/Summer 2021 Fashion Show for Milan Fashion Week, fabricating 20 puppets that resembled current top models and 16 audience member puppets that resembled major figures in the fashion world.
The Why
How do you hold a fashion show during a pandemic? With puppets! Scott (a long-time fan of Henson) had the vision to use marionette puppets to model his new collection.
The How
The Creature Shop designed the marionette puppets to resemble their real-world counterparts, including top models, fashion icons and Scott himself. Hairstyles, color, shoes, accessories, makeup, etc., were determined as part of the design process, with Scott providing scaled versions of his fashions. The goal was to create elegant silhouettes and movement, which was a fun opportunity considering marionette-style puppetry doesn’t typically lend itself to a realistic “model walk.”
Utilizing approved ZBrush designs, the Creature Shop 3D printed individual body parts out of resin and cast others in a two-part plastic. The parts were sanded, cleaned and painted prior to the bodies being assembled. The heads and makeup were airbrushed for perfectly finished complexions.
The shoot took place in Los Angeles. The Creature Shop provided a team of wranglers to dress the puppets in their Moschino looks. Even though it was necessary to restring each puppet for each outfit, the wranglers consider it their favorite project ever.