Authenticity, authenticity, authenticity. That was the directive from two-time Oscar-nominated director Roland Joffé for his latest work, Texas Rising, the History Channel’s 8-hour miniseries on the Texas Revolution. Costume designer Karri Hutchinson and her team worked for 12 weeks, rigorously preparing the wardrobes for the series, which premieres May 25, 2015.
Set in 1836, the series follows the characters who fought the war against Mexico, and their attire throughout the series represents the grit of the times. All fiercely loyal to Texas independence, the men were outfitted in hand-made garb fit for soldiers of the era.
The Texas Revolution came before the Industrial Revolution, and most every-day people in Texas didn’t change clothes very often. The History Channel filmed the miniseries in Mexico in the summer, so finding a fabric that looked like wool that didn’t suffocate the actors was a challenge for the costume team, Hutchinson says.
“We kept a lot of them in the same clothing throughout and just got them dirtier and dirtier,” Hutchinson says. “If they were wounded, we kept it bloody and full of holes.”