Wardrobe, Hair & Costume Design

Lena Castro (they/them) designs costumes and hair concepts that carry as much narrative weight as the choreography or blocking around them, researching character and culture before ever picking up a needle or a comb.

For Wichita State University's production of Ti-Jean and His Brothers, Lena researched Trinidadian flora and fauna, including the Great Kiskadee bird, Aspisoma firefly, tree cricket, and emerald eye tree frog, translating each creature into wearable silhouettes for the show's animal characters. Research into 1950s Trinidad plantation life shaped the human characters' period clothing and plaid fabric choices, with each design moving from early sketch to full-color rendering before construction.

For Ballet Wichita's Breaking Barriers, Lena designed the hair concept, centering braids and professional stylists to honor the role hair and hairstyling play in Black culture and to give local stylists a platform for their work. Finer hair textures were styled with wedding-inspired references, while coarser textures drew on more artistic, sculptural styles.

The Breaking Barriers hair design moved through research and moodboarding, a proposal and financial plan presented to the choreographer, director, and rehearsal manager (three stylists, a $300 stipend each, and a $100 design-map budget), dancer preparation, and same-day execution: detangling, sectioning, braiding, and finishing with hairspray, pins, and nets as needed.