Enid Eiriksson

Timaru born Enid Eiriksson grew up on a mid-Canterbury sheep farm.

She was in her early 30s when she began working in television. By then Eiriksson had built up a suitably eclectic background to design costumes: three years studying fine arts at Ilam in Christchurch, a year helping make costumes at Auckland's Mercury Theatre, and a stint running her own fancy dress business; plus time in London, where she worked in jewellery workshops after studies in jewellery-making at Sir John Cass School of Art.

Eiriksson joined state television when broadcasting was in a time of major expansion. In 1978 she began in the design department of recently born second channel, South Pacific Television.

By the end of that decade she was designing costumes for a slew of productions, including short-lived radio station soap Radio Waves, and ambitious adventure drama Castaways, which was shot across the Pacific.

Likely the best remembered of these early productions is Feltex award-winning drama series Children of Fire Mountain, which proved an impressive seller internationally. Set in the 1900s, the series saw Eiriksson scouring museums and newspaper files to ensure accuracy in her costumes — including recreating the look of Māori of the period who wore a “mixture of European clothing topped with feather cloaks”.

Working with a close-knit team of in-house cutters, pattern makers and milliners, Eiriksson oversaw costumes for 100 plus actors and extras. Some actors required as many as 20 costume changes. While clothing for the leads had to be specifically tailored, items for the extras were more often sourced from op shops, then subtly modified. For some of the show's more elaborate outfits, Eiriksson raided her own collections of handmade lace and hats.

Through the 80s Eiriksson worked steadily for the state broadcaster on everything from contemporary dramas (Mortimer's Patch) to period pieces (UK/NZ co-production The Adventurer) to the wide array of costumes required for hit comedy The Billy T James Show. It was also a busy decade for song and dance shows: Eiriksson designed costumes for specials showcasing Prince Tui Teka and the Yandall Sisters, among others.

1987 saw the debut of the show which put stilettos and shoulder pads front and centre: cult glamour soap Gloss, which revolves around the wealthy family who run a high fashion magazine.

The job was big enough to keep two costume designers busy and at the top of their game. In the first season, Eiriksson and fellow designer Liz Mitchell designed roughly 90 per cent of the costumes seen on-screen — or roughly 110 costumes each. At the time, Eiriksson described the show as a marvellous opportunity. ”You design a huge variety of clothes from underwear to evening wear for any age from 10 to 75. If you were working in industry you could not get that scope of design work”.

In the first season of Gloss, Eiriksson and Mitchell commanded alternate episodes; the following season they took turns leading in eight week blocks. The decision also gave Eiriksson the chance to take a short break after finishing work on 40s-era series The Champion, the tale of a black American GI billeted with a West Auckland family.

The Champion and Gloss were among the last shows made by TVNZ before the closure of both their wardrobe and drama departments.

Eiriksson took a well earned break. She went on to start her own business, designing and fabricating fashion jewellery.