Basket makers take issue with Alexander Skarsgård's wicker costume

Basket makers are objecting to the costume at the centre of Wicker, and the target is Alexander Skarsgård's character. The Wicker Husband, a figure in an English fishing village, is not made of willow or rush, and critics say it looks plaited rather than woven.

Deborah Needleman, a former editor of the New York Times T magazine who now makes baskets, was among the first to ask why the character was not made of willow or rush. More than 100 fellow basket makers have since joined in, according to The Guardian. Some of them, Needleman included, argue that wicker describes a type of weave rather than a material.

The word itself has a history. Eleanor Morgan, trade adviser to The Worshipful Company of Basketmakers in London, said wicker once meant any pliant twig or osier. Willow has commonly been used to mean wicker, she said, though it is less popular today.

The film's makers have defended the design. Wētā Workshop in New Zealand built the upper body, led by prosthetic designer Joe Dunckley. His team of 80 specialists made 50 interlocking body pieces over an 18-month process. The suit uses a rubber-like material, 3D-printed into a bespoke weave and attached to a spandex suit, along with 10 facial appliances.

Dunckley said willow was not a viable option for the suit. He compared it to making film armour out of actual steel.

Lewis Prosser, a basket maker from Cardiff who creates wicker costumes, draws the craft line differently. Traditional wicker items usually use stake-and-strand basketry, with upright rods woven through horizontal strands. The Wicker Husband does not have that structure.

The material has also been questioned. The Cut described the figure as appearing plaited, not woven, and made from lacquered bamboo or phormium, a New Zealand flax.

Skarsgård has taken a different view. He called the woven costume a "masterpiece", Reuters reported on 20 October. Peter Dinklage plays a basket weaver in the film.

The row has spread beyond the craft world. Ikea captioned a picture of its wicker furniture with the words "husband material", a nod to the character's name.

The argument comes down to one word. Is wicker a material, or a way of weaving? The basket makers are split, and the film's makers have made their choice.