The Engineering Marvel Behind Lady Gaga's Spectacular Stage Presence
In a breathtaking display of theatrical fashion, Lady Gaga recently stunned audiences by appearing to stand on a giant stage - only for viewers to realise she was actually wearing it. This extraordinary 7.5-metre-high gown represents the pinnacle of costume design, blending militaristic bodice with sweeping velvet drapes in a creation that defies conventional fashion boundaries.
The mastermind behind this engineering feat is 26-year-old Australian-Taiwanese designer Samuel Lewis, who collaborated with Los Angeles-based costume designer Athena Lawton to bring this visionary piece to life. "It's not just a dress; it's a moving piece of art, an engineering feat," Lewis explains, capturing the transformative nature of his work.
Pushing Creative Boundaries for Global Stardom
The true spectacle of Lewis's design reveals itself when Lady Gaga's skirt dramatically opens to expose a metal cage structure beneath, complete with dancers moving dynamically behind steel bars. This ambitious creation required Lewis to push his creative and technical limits, asking himself and his team: "How giant can something like this be?"
Lewis's collaboration with Lady Gaga extends well beyond this single showpiece. He designed all the looks for the first act of her current Mayhem Ball tour, along with creating her striking outfit for the 2025 Grammy Awards. His portfolio also includes costumes for her music videos Disease and Abracadabra, featuring hand-dyed silk gowns that showcase his signature approach to texture and corsetry.
Rapid Ascent in Celebrity Fashion Circles
Since graduating from Florence's prestigious Polimoda institute in 2024, Lewis has experienced a meteoric rise within celebrity fashion circles. His distinctive style combines meticulous engineering with what he describes as "chaotic, grungy romanticism" - a fusion that creates pieces feeling both kinetic and disciplined.
Lewis specialises in complex constructions that include Russian-doll dresses within dresses, impeccably crafted corsets, and transformative pieces that must withstand the physical demands of live performance. This dual requirement - creating beauty while ensuring durability - sets his work apart in the competitive world of celebrity fashion design.
The designer's client roster continues to expand, now including prominent names like Chappell Roan, Blackpink members, Julia Fox, Madonna, and Christina Aguilera, for whom he's creating a special Christmas performance look.
Cultural Influences and Design Philosophy
Rather than attributing his success to precocious talent, Lewis prefers to discuss the rich tapestry of influences that inform his work. His cultural consumption moves in "waves," with film playing a particularly significant role. He currently draws inspiration from Jim Jarmusch's 2013 vampire film Only Lovers Left Alive, starring Tilda Swinton.
His design aesthetic heavily references 70s rock and 80s-90s grunge movements, often incorporating fabrics that "might not be perfect, that have a sense of decay." This approach creates a unique mishmash of Debbie Harry's punk sensibility with sumptuous Victorian influences, resulting in silhouettes that follow the body's natural shape before transforming into something fantastical.
"I wasn't always the best designer," Lewis admits modestly. "But through the pursuit of being a better designer - watching movies, reading books, listening to music, seeing art - I've been able to become better. You need to engage with things to become better, I'm a firm believer in that."
Global Recognition from Melbourne Base
Despite being based in Melbourne, Lewis's work has taken him across the globe this year, from Los Angeles to Paris, Italy to South Korea. His international perspective stems from childhood experiences; born in Australia, he developed what he describes as a "lilting international school accent" during his father's embassy postings across the Philippines, Vietnam, India, New Zealand and Austria.
Social media has been instrumental in bridging geographical gaps, with most of his high-profile clients discovering his work through Instagram. "With the internet, you can make it from wherever you are," he states. "I'm proof of that."
However, Lewis acknowledges the challenges facing Australian designers, noting that they often remain overlooked until achieving recognition abroad. "We still have this idea of Paris and Milan as the 'true' signifiers of fashion," he observes. "But we don't focus on what's happening here. We wait till someone's shown in Paris, and then we say, 'Oh, now we're interested.'"
Looking ahead, Lewis is preparing for his debut collection scheduled for release in the first half of 2026. The collection will blend made-to-order and ready-to-wear pieces, inspired by "the idea of collecting things through time, finding the beauty in everything without caring so much what it is and what it represents - but seeing the magic in it anyway."
His ultimate goal remains creating pieces that provoke wonder and curiosity: "I really want to make something that makes you be like, 'What the fuck is that? How does it work?'"
