ABOUT – HAYLEY NEBAUER

HAYLEY NEBAUER

COSTUME DESIGNER | FILM & TELEVISION

Hayley Nebauer is an award-winning Costume Designer known for creating distinctive, emotionally resonant worlds for film and television. With more than 20 years’ experience, she combines a bold creative vision with the practical leadership required to realise ambitious productions. Her work is rooted in storytelling and character, crafting costumes that shape the tone, hierarchy and visual identity of the worlds they inhabit.

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

A natural world-builder, Hayley’s design practice blends meticulous research with imaginative reinvention. Her process begins with a deep exploration of the script, its characters, historical and cultural references, and the visual world of the production.

Rather than pursuing period accuracy as an end in itself, she uses this research as a foundation for original, often hybrid designs that combine historical richness with contemporary or contrasting aesthetics. The story and its tone always take precedence over literal accuracy, allowing her to develop a visual language with its own originality, authority and truth.

Her designs explore how costume can define societies, establish hierarchies and give characters visual tools to reveal, conceal or subvert their identities. Carefully controlled colour palettes, silhouette and texture are integral to her approach, allowing characters to belong convincingly within their environments while retaining their individuality.

SELECTED WORK

Her television credits include BBC’s Doctor Who, The Musketeers, Disney+/Hulu’s Black Cake (for which she received a 2024 BAFTA Cymru nomination for Costume Design), The Capture, Death Valley and The Undeclared War.

Her feature film work includes Prizefighter, Close, A Lonely Place to Die, All Things to All Men and Doghouse. She also worked as Assistant Costume Designer on Netflix’s Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE & CREATIVE LEADERSHIP

Originally from Australia and based in the UK since 2005, Hayley has worked across Europe, North Africa, the Caribbean and South America, leading costume departments on productions of widely varying scales and budgets.

She brings the same creative ambition, resourcefulness and commitment to quality to every project, combining collaborative leadership with imaginative, practical solutions to realise a production’s visual potential, whatever its resources or logistical challenges.

SUSTAINABILITY & CREATIVE RESOURCES

Her approach also incorporates thoughtful sourcing and sustainability. Drawing on an extensive private archive of contemporary, designer, vintage and antique clothing, fabrics, trims and costumes, she seeks opportunities to reuse, rework and reinterpret existing pieces where appropriate, without compromising the creative ambitions of the production.

WHAT COLLABORATORS SAY

“Hayley is by far the most talented and qualified costume designer I have worked with in my entire career. Black Cake was shot in 7 different countries across multiple time periods in the most extreme conditions imaginable and in far-away, remote places such as Port Antonio, Jamaica, Los Angeles, CA, London, Wales, and Italy. The continuity alone was horrifying; forget about the aesthetic, which was sublime. Her ability to stay calm under any circumstance and meet and satisfy, sometimes very conflicting demands, was a lesson I myself took to heart. Honestly, I cannot recommend anyone more highly. Give me a call if you ever want to spend an hour talking about how great she is.”

– MICHAEL LOHMANN, Head of Production for CBS and Paramount’s Kapital Entertainment – Executive Producer , Black Cake

“It was an absolute pleasure and delight to work with Hayley on a C4 & NBC Universal show. She is creatively smart and works closely with cast & execs to deliver outstanding designs. Her look books are presented with clarity, vision and ambition. She manages her team effortlessly and is a brilliant communicator with producers outlining schedules, cost updates and projections regularly. I would work with Hayley again in a heart beat!“

– CAROLINE LEVY, Producer, The Undeclared War, Series 2.

“Hayley was an absolute pleasure to work with on The Capture Series 3. She has a brilliant creative eye, an instinctive understanding of character and a real attention to detail. Her costume choices were always thoughtful, authentic and beautifully judged, adding so much to the storytelling. She’s also incredibly collaborative, calm under pressure and a fantastic presence on set. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with her again.”

– ANTHONY PHILLIPSON, Director (block 1), The Capture, Series 3.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Hayley on 3 very different shows: a sci-fi, a comedy and a contemporary police thriller. She’s meticulous with character details, super-organised and a great collaborator and communicator. I particularly love her her passion for sustainability and her process of sharing lookbooks to show how characters look together across different story days. Cast love her thoughtful approach and she works closely with other HODs to create a cohesive look.”

– NIKKI WILSON, Producer, Doctor Who, Death Valley, Code Zero.

“I worked with Hayley Nebauer for the first time in 2015 on the BBC One series The Musketeers. Hayley came in with a lot of creative ideas on how to build on previous series. As this series had moved on in time from the previous year we wanted to give the heroes a new look, which is exactly what Hayley did. This was discussed, drawn and pre-visualised down to the finest detail.
The series was shot in the Czech Republic which came with some logistical problems but the department produced amazing results on budget and on time to everyone’s satisfaction.
We have worked together since then, most recently on The Undeclared War 2 for Channel 4 in 2024. Hayley is always one of my first calls when crewing up.
I would highly recommend meeting with Hayley to discuss costume needs for any film or TV project.”

– MATTHEW BIRD, Producer, The Muskeeters S3

RECOGNITION

Hayley’s work has received recognition through international film and television awards, celebrating both her costume design and her contributions to independent filmmaking.

Costume Design

2024 — BAFTA Cymru Awards | Nominee, Costume Design
Black Cake — Disney+ / Hulu

2026 — Ember Awards | Nominee, Contemporary Costume Design
The Capture — Series 3

2022 — Rome Prisma Independent Film Awards | Winner, Best Costume Design
Monster Heart — Directed by Priyanga Burford

2026 — Ember Awards | Nominee, Contemporary Costume Design
Death Valley — Series 2

Film Production

2015 — Phoenix Film Festival | Winner, Best Sci-Fi Short Film
AIR — Producer and Costume Designer

2015 — London Independent Film Festival | Winner, Best Sci-Fi Short Film
AIR — Producer and Costume Designer

IN THE PRESS

BLACK CAKE:

“Every character is styled to within an inch of their life in exquisite period costuming, the show has a commitment to elegance.” AND “One of the most visually stunning shows in recent memory.”

– The Guardian · Leila Latif · 31 January 2024

“Through its costume design, the series excels at detailing the Caribbean experience.”

– Essence · Robyn Mowatt · 10 January 2024

THE CAPTURE:

“Carey’s green coat – an item of clothing that has become as synonymous with the character as Luther’s tweed jacket and Vera’s brown trench. Such is the power of the coat – selected by costume designer Hayley Nebauer.”

– The Independent · Jacob Stolworthy · 8 March 2026

THE MUSKETEERS:

“This series isn’t afraid to be different than some of its peers (…) this series works in DNA unique to its vision. One of these qualifiers being the contemporized “feel” of the production. This especially applies to the costuming.”

– Rissi JC · RissiWrites · 2 January 2017

CHAMPIONING SCREEN CRAFT

Alongside her work as a Costume Designer, Hayley is the founding Chair of Screen Craft Guild Cymru, an industry-led organisation established in 2026 to champion, connect and celebrate the creative talent working in Production Design, Costume Design and Hair & Make-up across Wales.

Recognising the need for greater visibility and professional recognition for these disciplines, Hayley spearheaded the Guild’s formation and the creation of the Ember Awards, an annual celebration of excellence in screen craft. The inaugural awards ceremony took place in Cardiff in September 2026, bringing together leading industry professionals to recognise the artistry, skill and collaborative achievements of the people whose work shapes the visual worlds of film and television.

Through the Guild, Hayley continues to advocate for greater recognition, professional development and opportunities for collaboration, helping to strengthen and celebrate Wales’s screen craft community.

SCREEN CRAFT GUILD CYMRU — VISIT WEBSITE

ARTISTIC RESIDENCIES & RESEARCH

Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Artist in Residence — Costume Design for Film | August 2012 – March 2013

Coinciding with the landmark exhibition Hollywood Costume, Hayley undertook an extensive programme of creative research exploring Hybrid Design as an approach to costume design for film.

Drawing on the V&A’s extensive collections, Hayley explored how historical forms, materials and cultural influences could be combined with contemporary and futuristic aesthetics to create original visual worlds. During her residency, she conceived and led The Hybrid Project, bringing together artists, designers and filmmakers through collaborative research and experimentation to explore hybrid design beyond the conventions of historical accuracy, particularly in science fiction and fantasy.

The initiative culminated in the production of AIR, a 23-minute science-fiction film produced and costume designed by Hayley and directed by Emma E. Maclennan. The film brought together the project’s research, experimental design and multidisciplinary collaboration in a fully realised fictional world.

The residency remains an important chapter in Hayley’s development of Hybrid Design: a research-led philosophy that places the identity, tone and emotional truth of a production above literal historical accuracy.

Tempo Festival, Rio de Janeiro

Costume Design Artist in Residence | 2013

Hayley also undertook an international costume design residency in Rio de Janeiro as part of the Tempo Festival’s Occupation Gamboa collaboration, continuing her exploration of experimental and interdisciplinary design practice.