Research, Ruffs & Royalty – Bringing History to Life for Amazon Kindle Scribe
Every now and then a brief lands in my inbox that immediately makes me smile.
This was one of those jobs.
I was commissioned by Amazon to costume design and style a global campaign for the Kindle Scribe, bringing some of history's most extraordinary minds back to life through historically accurate character costume design.
The line-up included William Shakespeare, Leonardo da Vinci, Florence Nightingale, Cleopatra, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Federico García Lorca. Each one instantly recognisable, each one from a completely different period of history, and each one needing to feel authentic enough that audiences around the world would believe them from the very first frame.
One of my favourite parts of any historical project is the research. Before a single costume is sourced or designed, I disappear down what can only be described as a wonderfully nerdy rabbit hole. Portraits, written accounts, museum archives, paintings, fabrics, silhouettes, colour palettes... everything gets absorbed.
It's this research-led approach to costume design that underpins every project I work on, whether I'm recreating historical figures, designing original characters or styling contemporary campaigns.
For this project, the turnaround was incredibly tight, so the research had to be focused, detailed and delivered quickly. I produced extensive mood boards for each historical figure, helping the creative team establish a clear visual direction before moving into sourcing and costume development.
The challenge with campaigns like this is striking the right balance between historical accuracy and contemporary advertising. These weren't museum recreations—they were characters designed for a global commercial campaign. Every decision had to support the storytelling while ensuring each figure remained instantly recognisable to audiences across different cultures.
Florence Nightingale needed to embody quiet authority and compassion. Shakespeare required that unmistakable Elizabethan silhouette. Leonardo da Vinci had to feel every bit the curious inventor and artist. Cleopatra demanded elegance, power and iconography, while each of the remaining characters brought their own unique research challenges.
Projects like this always remind me how much I enjoy creating historical characters and immersive costume projects. Every commission is an opportunity to learn something new, and I always come away knowing far more about the people I've been researching than when I started.
It's these details that I love.
Costume design isn't simply about finding the right outfit. It's about understanding who someone was, how they lived, what mattered to them and how all of that can be communicated through clothing. That's the difference between dressing an actor and creating a believable character.
Seeing the final campaign come together was incredibly rewarding. What began as research documents, reference images and mood boards evolved into a collection of historically inspired characters that helped celebrate some of history's greatest writers, artists, inventors and visionaries.
If you'd like to see the finished campaign, you can explore it in my Commercials & Campaigns Portfolio, or take a look through my [Character Creations] portfolio to discover more of the research, design and craftsmanship behind projects like this.
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Not a bad way to spend a few weeks.
Stay in the Spot.
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Cleopatra Costume Design and Creation for Amazon Kindle Scribe Global Launch Campaign - Costume Designer Patrick Jack
Leonardo da Vinci Costume Design and Creation for Amazon Kindle Scribe Global Campaign - Costume Design by Patrick Jack
Behind the scenes photos from the Amazon kindle Scribe shoot - costume designer Patrick Jack