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Jeriana San Juan is one of Hollywood's leading costume designers. Through her years in the industry, the Cuban-American has worked with some of the major creatives in entertainment, taking on projects of all sorts, from embracing the legacy of the fashion genius “Halston” to jumping in on the prescient boon of AI in “M3gan 2.0,” the sequel to one of the most delightful horror movies in recent memory.
While readers may not be familiar with the role of a costume designer, Jeriana's resume speaks for itself. With credits that date back to the early aughts, she has worked on the sets of "Saturday Night Live," "Law & Order SVU," and "Halston," for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy. In a conversation with HOLA!, Jeriana opened up about her career, sharing her endless reserves of passion for clothing and storytelling. She describes fabrics and characters like a fan, considering these elements as an extension of people's identities.
“I think to be a costume designer, you have to really be interested in character."
Jeriana's creativity and inventive nature are surprising, even when speaking to someone who works in a creative field and whose day-to-day job consists of selecting and making clothes that populate our favorite stories. As she began reading the script for “M3gan 2.0” and developing a mental picture of the world she’d be living in, she began thinking about AI and what a robot would want out of fashion.
"If she's AI, I should probably ask AI what it would wear," said Jeriana. She turned to many of the online AI chatbots with some fashion questions, making them as personal as possible to get the most concrete answer.
"I asked, what would you wear if you were a person? And it talked about wearing shoes that would optimize walking and running. Wearing clothes that were breathable. It was all about optimization," she said. Jeriana blended all of this information with the conversations that she had with Gerard Johnstone, the film’s director and co-writer, with the two developing a code for M3gan. With a laugh, Jeriana said, "We kept all of those things in mind, because at the end of the day M3gan is an AI but she's also a smart and sassy bitch."
"M3gan 2.0" premieres in theaters on June 27th. Fans of the original should expect a different ride with the same vibe, with the film capitalizing on the elements that made the original such a fun and distinct experience. It's an ambitious project that boosts M3gan and positions her alongside other iconic horror dolls, hopefully resulting in many sequels and spin-offs in the future.
A born costume designer
Jeriana had an awareness of her vocation since she was little. She describes herself as a "born costume designer," even if she makes it clear that she didn't know that designing clothes for films and TV sets was a career until she was older. "I was raised by my grandmother when I was very young. She was a seamstress and a dressmaker," she said.
Jeriana's grandmother's influence was pivotal in her formation as an artist and adult. "She would encourage me to always explore my dreams. I always loved stories and movies and art, and magazines. From a very young age, I started drawing little pictures of dresses and character designs. And she would help me make these into a reality by using curtains, bedsheets, literally whatever fabric was around the house."
Those early experiences with her grandmother helped her develop the values that she takes into her office. "It's embedded in me, the culture of hard work," she said.
“There's this magic that comes from the experience of being an other. Many times, I'm the only person of Latin heritage in the room. And that's sad, but it's the reality. So, how can I bring a different perspective?"
The understanding of the "witchery" of clothing is also something Jeriana credits to her grandmother, who helped her take on different characters as a little girl by designing the perfect costumes for her life. "We couldn't afford to live in a nice house or go to private school, but we could inhabit the character of that if we dressed really well.”
"My grandmother would find a beautiful silk linen and then she'd create a smart little suit set," she said with a smile.
Taking on the legacy of one of her icons
One of the biggest opportunities in her career came with “Halston,” the Netflix series developed by Ryan Murphy. The show explores the legacy of the beloved American designer, taking viewers through the ‘70s and showing his influence in redefining American fashion. It was a job that required Jeriana to craft costumes and looks that would suit the time period of the series while also honoring the towering legacy of Halston. She described the pressure of the job as “immense.”
"I’m gonna die on this fire or I’m gonna survive it,” she said. “Anything that scares me, I run towards.” Jeriana ended up earning her first nomination for the Emmys, opening doors for her in all sorts of ways. She approached the project as an opportunity to “bring to life” Halston’s “visual voice.”
“I could have never said no. It’s a brilliant project. I feel really honored to have done that,” she said.
Following the show’s premiere, Jeriana received the most important stamp of approval: “I passed the test from his peers and colleagues and friends, some of whom I interviewed in researching the project,“ she said.
Throughout our conversation, Jeriana spoke like an artist in the full sense of the word. Someone who works with their hands, creating something tangible that other people get to touch and see and react to. “It’s all a matter of smoke and mirrors,” she said with a laugh. “It’s a complete illusion. It’s not very glamorous work on its day to day.”
“I really didn’t know many costume designers when I was young. I didn’t know it could be a career.”
Watch the M3gan 2.0 trailer:
Jeriana listed out Catherine Martin and Ruth Carter as some of the women who have inspired her profession and have allowed her to get to where she is now. Today, she joins in their ranks and leads a tradition of unsung heroes in entertainment, who help color the world of our films and shows. “The spirit of the film is in the clothes,” she said.