‘Sex Education’ Costume Designer Breaks Down Season 4’s Fabulous Fashions (PHOTOS)
[Spoiler Alert: The below contains spoilers from Sex Education Season 4.]
Sex Education has come to a close, but along with the characters and stories, its fashions will live for the foreseeable future on Netflix.
Despite being set in current times, there’s always been a retro quality to the colorful costumes worn onscreen, but even more so in the show’s fourth and final season which saw Daniella Pearman take over as costume designer. “I think the beauty about Sex Education is that there is kind of a transition from what we have known to what happens in this season,” she tells TV Insider.
“It is a series of all our characters growing up or finding themselves. So going from teenage years to young adulthood,” Pearman continues. “There was an opportunity to show that through how their arcs evolved.” One way the cast of characters has evolved is the show’s ever-changing school status as former Moordale pupils moved over to Cavendish College after their former establishment closed down at the end of Season 3.
“It was brilliant to have that opportunity to develop the looks [for Cavendish] to show the difference from this world that our characters have been in [with Moordale],” Pearman says. “They’re like little fish in a massive pond. We wanted to show this whole new world around them that was really sustainable and green, a progressive environment. It was a brilliant challenge.”
But not all is being changed, some staples are remaining the same, while some characters are embracing new looks. Below, Pearman breaks down some of the final season’s looks.
Sex Education, Seasons 1-4, Streaming now, Netflix.
Otis and His Tri-Color Coat
When it came to particular clothing items, Pearman says, “We wanted to keep the continuity with all of them. I think that was important because they did have to look alien in this new world that we were creating in Cavendish and also with Maeve in America. So, Otis’s (Asa Butterfield) coat was never going to go. That was always iconic in itself throughout the whole series.” Part of the reason for Otis’s lack of change is “he’s kind of stuck in time, mourning Maeve (Emma Mackey) leaving, but he’s also coping with a new baby in the family and supporting his mom. So he’s not really had time to kind of evolve,” Pearman says.
Aimee's Self-Discovery
“We wanted to show a bit of maturity in a subtle way,” Pearman goes on, noting that, “Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood) is experimenting with loads of different looks and clothes because she’s finding out who she is and how she feels comfortable as a woman after being assaulted on the bus.”
Adam's Armor
Meanwhile, similar to Otis, Adam (Connor Swindells), Adam kept a hold of his leather coat but made some subtle changes throughout the season. “We toyed so many times about losing the jacket,” Pearman admits. “We never wanted to lose the jacket at the beginning. It’s his armor and Adam is trying to find out who he is and what he wants to do. He doesn’t want to go back to college, but he doesn’t know what he wants to do. So he goes to work at the farm with the jacket still on. We got him some new boots instead of his white trainers when he’s working.” Ultimately, Pearman and her team decided against separating Adam and his classic coat because it never felt like “the right point to do it.”
Ruby's Campaign Style
As for the former cool girl, Ruby (Mimi Keene), she “kept her yellow jacket,” Pearman says, noting, “that’s her armor because she doesn’t fit in at this new college. She was in the popular group in Moordale, but they weren’t the kind of popular group that is in Cavendish.” Ultimately, she switches out the usual for the yellow jacket when “she goes into campaign manager mode,” shares Pearman.
Eric at the Beginning
Then there’s series fashion plate and risk-taker, Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) who goes on quite a clothes journey. “It was really fun showing that transition with Eric,” Pearman says. “When we first see him, he’s been back to Nigeria where his family originates from and he comes back with the Nigerian print, but he still teams it with his trusty Picasso bomber that we’ve seen in past seasons.”
Eric's Queer Inspiration
“The queer party is the pivotal moment when they get him ready to go,” Pearman says of Cavendish’s students influencing Eric. “They put him in the kilt and the harness and choker and he goes to this amazing party where he sees this world of people expressing themselves how they want to express themselves. And then from that moment, we see the influence on him.”
Jodie Turner-Smith's Godly Getup
And you can’t look at Sex Education‘s final season fashions without addressing Jodie Turner-Smith’s ensemble she wears as God in Eric’s own vision. “We had loads of different looks for Jodie in terms of God as a normal person. And then she has this amazing transformation into God Almighty, which was the most incredible experience working with Harris Reed who designed that piece,” Pearman muses. Crediting one of her colleagues named Emily, Pearman reveals that they got in touch with Reed’s team who had supposedly already crafted a headpiece for Turner-Smith. “I think it’s the first time that Sex Education had collaborated with a designer and they were massive fans of the show, so they really wanted to be involved. Weirdly, the stars aligned and everything just fell into place.” Ultimately, the final product was “the image of God Almighty as this amazing woman beautiful and sparkling in this amazing environment.”
What final Sex Education look was your favorite? Let us know in the comments section, below.
Asa Butterfield
Gillian Anderson
Ncuti Gatwa
Aimee Lou Wood
Emma Mackey
Connor Swindells
Kedar Williams-Stirling
Mimi Keene
George Robinson
Samantha Spiro
Jim Howick
Rakhee Thakrar
Daniel Ings
Dan Levy
Thaddea Graham
Lisa McGrillis
Marie Reuther
Jodie Turner-Smith
Eshaan Akbar
Alexandra James
Reda Elazouar
Bella Maclean
Chinenye Ezeudu
Hannah Gadsby
Felix Mufti
Anthony Lexa
Imani Yahshua
Dua Saleh
⨁Full Cast & Crew
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services