A ‘Harry Potter’ costume designer breaks down iconic looks worn by Voldemort, Bellatrix, and more of the films’ villains

• Award-winning costume designer Jany Temime created looks for “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” through “Deathly Hallows – Part 2.”
• Temime especially enjoyed designing outfits for the series’ villains, including Bellatrix Lestrange, Professor Umbridge, and Lord Voldemort.
• Bellatrix was her favorite character to work on, but she also liked the juxtaposition of Umbridge’s wardrobe.
• She used five different kinds of silk to design Voldemort’s black robes.
• Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

“Harry Potter,” based on the books by controversial author J.K. Rowling, is one of the most popular series in movie history.

Whether you grew up reading about the adventures of Harry, Ron, and Hermione or experienced the magic of Hogwarts through the films, you know that the series is filled with some pretty unforgettable villains. 

To bring the baddies of the “Harry Potter” universe to life on the big screen, award-winning costume designer Jany Temime — who worked on “Prisoner of Azkaban” through “Deathly Hallows – Part 2” — created intricate outfits from high-quality leather, mohair, and silk. 

Temime spoke with Insider, via a FaceTime voice call from London, about how she crafted iconic looks for memorable villains such as Bellatrix Lestrange, Professor Umbridge, and, of course, Lord Voldemort. 

Read on for some insight into her creative process.

Temime said that 'Harry Potter' became her 'world' after six years of working on the films 

When Temime joined the "Potter" series for "Prisoner of Azkaban," the third installment in the franchise, she had a distinct vision for the witches' and wizards' attire. 

"I always kept in mind that I had to do something which was slightly wizardy," she said.

Temime modeled her designs on the classic image of a broomstick-riding witch. To her, that meant including seamed hoods on robes and sticking with a "mysterious, dark-ish" palette. 

Although every film brought its own complexities, Temime hit her stride as she honed her craft.

"By designing for six years on the same subject, it becomes your world," she told Insider. "That was my creative world and I knew how to do a very good hood, I knew which embroidery would work, I knew which different sort of black would be used, different shade of black, different shine of black."

She added that with each new film, the design process was "always challenging, but slightly easier."

She didn't hold back when it came to designing quality costumes

Alongside her vision, the designer also tried to incorporate the highest-quality materials into each costume — even though they were expensive and a hassle to clean.

Temime believed they were well worth the investment in the long run since "Harry Potter" shoots could last a while, and cheaper materials "would have looked terrible after one month." 

As much as she enjoyed dressing the series' heroes, Temime had a soft spot for Bellatrix Lestrange

When asked if she had a favorite character to design for, Temime knew her answer immediately: Voldemort's right-hand woman, Bellatrix Lestrange (played by Helena Bonham Carter).

The designer said it took a lot of work to make the character "look so rotten."

To complement Bonham Carter's delightfully unhinged performance, Bellatrix's wardrobe featured macabre-meets-chic leather corset-wear and layers of washed, dyed, and embroidered fabrics. 

"She's such a bad, bad, bad woman. But [Bonham Carter] is amazing in it and she really made something out of it," she told Insider, adding that Bellatrix is "the worst, but I really liked her."

During filming, Bonham Carter also offered a take that stuck with the designer through the years: "Good characters are boring. Baddies are the only ones you will remember." 

"We do love baddies and Bellatrix is a fantastic baddy," Temime added. "Even if she's so bad, we always forgive her because she's so powerful and so extreme."

The designer said she was even asked to develop a line of Bellatrix-inspired clothing 

During the height of the "Harry Potter" fandom, you may have seen Bellatrix costumes at your local Halloween store. But Temime said a large department-store chain also asked her to develop a line of Bellatrix-inspired clothing.

She wasn't necessarily surprised since the character's outfits "were very edgy and very sexy," but ultimately, the partnership didn't pan out. 

"I couldn't do it. It was not possible," she added. "But I thought it was funny that they were asking me to do a Bellatrix collection."

On the other hand, Professor Umbridge's designs contradicted her villain status

Despite wearing head-to-toe pink, Professor Umbridge (played by Imelda Staunton) is more pernicious than delicate.

To bring this vile Ministry official turned Hogwarts High Inquisitor to life, Temime used a range of soft materials that juxtaposed Umbridge's stern personality.  

"I never used so much mohair and soft wool and, you know, rabbit. Everything which was super soft I used on her," she told Insider. "And then that smile of [Staunton's] was amazing. I loved her, I loved her."

In addition to her penchant for pink, Umbridge is also known for being cat-obsessed. The designer fondly recalled creating feline-themed accessories for Staunton — notably a scarf that featured a three-dimensional cat head. 

And when it came to dressing Lord Voldemort, Temime pulled out all the stops

Lord Voldemort (played by Ralph Fiennes) is the central villain in "Harry Potter," and Temime translated his menacing presence into a wardrobe of billowing black robes.

The designer also said she collaborated with Fiennes on the costumes to ensure that the materials would work for the character's flying scenes. 

"We had five different weight[s] of silk and then everything was individually dyed and complemented each other," Temime told Insider. "I mean, it was a lot of work ... But it's there and that helped the costume to be such a beauty."

She added, "But without Ralph Fiennes playing it, I do not think it would have had the same result."

Ultimately, Temime attributes her success to the detailed descriptions in the books and the films' stellar cast

Above all, Temime said that her job designing costumes for "Harry Potter" was made easier by the films' dynamic cast members and the books' detailed character descriptions — especially when it came to the bad guys.

"I think that if, for instance, the costumes of Umbridge are so powerful, it's because the casting was so powerful. The whole text was so powerful. Our sets were so powerful," she told Insider. "... Every single villain is extremely real and well-thought, and you can see that from the costume."

Temime continued, "It's always a lot easier to design when a character is very well-written."

Read More:

• 18 little-known facts about Voldemort even die-hard 'Harry Potter' fans may not know
• 13 little-known facts about Severus Snape that 'Harry Potter' fans probably don't know
• What 15 terrifying movie villains look like in real life
• THEN AND NOW: The cast of the 'Harry Potter' films 19 years later