Melissa Simon-Hartman
UK Centre for Carnival Art welcomes Melissa Simon-Hartman, a London born artist, costume and fashion designer. Extremely proud of her Trinidadian and Ghanaian heritage, cultural influences of both her her West Indian and West African background can be found throughout her work, which includes contributions to Beyonce’s ‘Black is King’ and Doja Cat’s music video for her hit song, ‘Woman’.
Born and raised as an only child in North-West London, Kilburn, to a Ghanaian father and Trinidadian mother, Melissa’s first experience with costume making was Notting Hill Carnival. It was love at first sight, and Melissa would spend her summers immersed in the Mas camps, learning and cultivating her craft through the help and mentorship of the bands’ resident designers. Even at this young age, she excelled creatively and would go on to attend the prestigious London College of Fashion where she would graduate with a degree in theatrical costuming.
Melissa would go on to launch her own brand – Simon-Hartman London – in 2009, focusing initially on statement footwear and accessory pieces. However, Melissa never lost her love for Carnival and theatrical costumes and soon her focus would shift back onto her two passions.
Reshaping her focus onto creating high-end theatrical costumes containing a Carnival flair, Melissa has since contributed design pieces to the Afro-futuristic set design of the character Safe Odum, played by singer Ne-Yo, in the hit Starz television series ‘Step-Up’, and her statement costumes have been featured in music videos from Little Mix, Stefflon Don, and WizKid ft Burna Boy, as well as publications such as Harper’s Bazaar, The Cut and GQ magazine. Her carnival costumes were displayed in a stunning advertisement featured prominently on the Piccadilly Circus billboard for Samsung UK during Carnival Season 2020. Melissa made her debut as costume designer for the Shakespearean stage in the Much Ado About Nothing 2022 theatre production at the Royal Shakespeare company.
In 2023, Melissa designed for the revival production of Once on this island’, directed by Ola Ince at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and imost recently for the Brixton House production of ‘Legends of Them’.
Instagram: @melissasimonhartman
Website: simon-hartman.com
Behance: MelissaSimon-Hartman
