Virginia Bristol Johnson is a Filipina-American costume designer living in Greater Boston. Prior to moving to Greater Boston 20+ years ago, Virginia (or V) traveled all over the United States working as a costume designer for regional and summer-stock theatres. V was born in Luzon, Philippines and raised by a flock of aunties who taught her how to stitch. A Navy brat, V lived in dozens of cities and towns for most of her childhood and often served as the family's translator. With each move, V learned resilience and how to adapt to new schools, new climates, and new communities. To this day, V cannot fully explain what her father did on the various nuclear-powered aircraft carriers he worked on over the span of 16 years but she became adept at articulating not having a parent around for 9-12 months at a time while he was in the Indian Ocean or Persian Gulf or making history on the first nuclear-powered carrier to transit the Suez Canal. Wherever they happened to live (for 3-6 months or a a few years) V spent her days playing classical piano, learning traditional Filipino dance, shaving seconds off her mile, developing an everlasting love of reading and public libraries, and competing in various academic competitions.
In 1989, V's family would relocate to a small town in Eastern Iowa (population 7,000) so her parents could help provide care for ailing family. As the only non-white student in a 400 student high school, V went from having a deep AAPI+ community to suddenly explaining what language they spoke at home, why they went to Chicago or Des Moines every few months to go grocery shopping, and calling out the prejudices of her peers. She often describes this period as one of the greatest challenges of her life but also when she found her authentic voice. V would remain in Iowa for college to be close to her family, accepting a work study job in the Drake University costume shop which changed the course of her life.
For almost two decades V has designed an array of costumes for television, documentaries, and feature films. She learned the ropes of the costume department by serving as a costume supervisor on such acclaimed productions as The Social Network, Spotlight, Black Mass, and Joy.
Her earliest opportunities as a motion picture costume designer were found in the arena of non-fiction storytelling, wherein she created period costumes for the examinations of various historical figures in the PBS productions, The War That Made America (five part mini-series), Nova, and American Experience (various mini-series).
V considers herself "genre agnostic" - most interested in telling character stories through how they dress. Sometimes choosing a project because it might appeal to the young people in her life while other times wanting to spend time exploring worlds and people that she wouldn't naturally gravitate to.
Having earned her MFA in Costume Design & Fashion History from West Virginia University in the heart of Appalachia, V was elated when chosen by director Ron Howard to design the costumes for Oscar-nominated screenwriter, Vanessa Taylors adaptation of the best-selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy.
When the novel coronavirus pandemic incapacitated the motion picture industry in March 2020, V put her skills to good use by making thousands of masks for healthcare workers, hospitals, and other organizations in the Boston area and nationwide.
When not designing costumes, V explores the intersection of feminism and craft. V opened a fabric and fibers studio in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2011 where people can learn to sew, knit, crochet, embroider, and quilt. The studio is a tribute to the many women who have taken up a needle, providing for their families and creating art that is overlooked. You can read about V's relationship to craft in Jen Hewett's 2021 book, This Long Thread: Women of Color on Craft, Community and Connection.
Virginia Bristol Johnson is represented by Sandra Marsh and Associates.
54 min