Costume Designer Melissa Simon-Hartman’s Vision to Create Wearable Art Pieces
Melissa Simon-Hartman is an English designer born and raised in London. From a young age, Melissa had a knack for art and fashion; thus, she pursued her career in fashion. She graduated from the London College of Fashion (University of the Arts London) and earned her degree in Theatrical Costume.
She then worked as a junior costume designer for Notting Hills Carnival. Later, in 2009, Melissa decided to start her own label and create unique footwear and accessories. That’s how Simon-Hartman London was born with a vision to design and create ‘wearable and displayable art.’ Melissa’s distinct vision of her brand led her to create exceptional pieces creatively designed to hook the viewer’s attention.
Her footwear line debuted in 2013 in Berlin during the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. She was praised for her artistic style and an epic fusion of different cultures in her statement pieces.
After her immense success at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, Melissa returned to her original passion of designing theatrical costumes. Her designs were featured in different theatres and production houses in Italy and China.
The biggest break of Melissa’s career was designing 7 outfits, and headpieces for Beyonce’s song Mood 4 Eva in the musical film Black Is King. Her black outfit and statement headpiece was worn by Beyoncé and featured in various publications, including Vogue. Melissa was also credited by Zerina Akers, Beyoncé’s stylist for the movie, on social media and Zerina’s website.
Shortly after, Melissa again designed a fabulous costume for Beyonce’s Renaissance album release. In 2019, Melissa designed carnival costumes for Notting Hill Carnival and Samsung U.K., its official partner. Her outfits appeared in the short film titled Costumes Of Carnival. Melissa’s costumes were showcased in Samsung U.K.’s advertisement on the Piccadilly Circus billboard in 2020 at the Notting Hill Carnival weekend.
In 2022, Melissa was the designer for the theatrical play Much Ado About Nothing. The play was produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company and presented in 2022 at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Melissa was invited to Buckingham Palace and met the most important patron of the Royal Shakespeare Company, King Charles.
Melissa was also nominated for the Alan Young ‘Art Student of the Year award.’ Besides that, Melissa was featured in the first edition of ‘Black Who’s Who,’ which included the high Black achievers in Britain. Her long list of achievements also includes ‘M.B.A. Most Influential Female Award’ which she won in 2016.
In 2021, driven by her passion for designing and her vision of creating wearable art, Melissa introduced S.H.A.C.E, which stands for Simon-Hartman Academy of Creative Excellence. It is a collaborative initiative that includes creative industry experts for sharing top-tier fashion knowledge with aspiring designers.
To learn more about S.H.A.C.E, Simon-Hartman London, and their unique collection, visit their website to view the catalogue. You can follow Melissa on her social media accounts to get a glimpse of her personal and professional life and the projects she works on:
Instagram: @MelissaSimonHartman
Facebook: @Simon.Hartman.London