‘Wicked’ costume designer Paul Tazewell could make history at the Oscars​on February 19, 2025 at 4:38 am

NEW YORK — The man behind the costumes of “Wicked” is poised to make Oscars history if he walks away with a win.

He’s someone who tells stories without saying a word — and while you may not know his name, you’ve seen his work — from “Hamilton” to “The Color Purple,” “West Side Story,” and now bringing his style to “Wicked.”

Costume designer and Oscar nominee Paul Tazewell, who sat down with entertainment reporter Joelle Garguilo at the Rosevale Kitchen at the CIVILIAN Hotel, reflected on his full-circle journey that began back in high school.

“The first full production that I did, that I designed, was ‘The Wiz’ when I was in 16 in high school,” Tazewell said.

Now Tazewell has brought Oz to life once again, though this time on a significantly larger scale.

There were 25 looks for Glinda and Elphaba, plus the world of Shiz, Munchkinland and the Emerald City. Glinda’s pink bubble dress involved 137 pattern pieces and required 225 hours to hand-bead a single bodice.

Tazewell joined the production before a single role was cast.

“That was a privilege to be right along with Jon (Chu) in understanding how he’s imagining these characters, and my design would shift and change according to the direction that he was going,” Tazewell said.

But when Cynthia Erivo stepped into Elphaba’s shoes, the story deepened.

“I had already gone to that place of understanding Elphaba as a person of color and what her challenge is, and how she’s being seen and being vilified for the color of her skin,” Tazewell said. “And having a direct, emotional connection to that, obviously, as a Black man, so that was a really strong story point that I wanted to somehow incorporate into how I saw the character of Elphaba.”

He said having Erivo realized as Elphaba was mind-blowing and everything he hoped it would be.

“And when l approach my costume design, I always want for it to resonate in a very meaningful way, want for it to carry a message, to be poetic, to be larger than just a piece of clothing — even if it’s fantasy,” Tazewell said. “It’s not enough for me for it to just be a pretty garment or a beautiful garment, I want for it to resonate in a way that speaks to who the character is and says something about the story overall.”

Every decision was made with enormous intention while working closely with Erivo and Ariana Grande and helping them craft their characters.

“First off, we did this with both Cynthia and with Ariana, we sat down with all the designs, laid out on a table, Jon on one side, Cynthia on the other, and we talked about Elphaba and what I envisioned her clothing track would be and what she would wear from moment to moment,” Tazewell said.

He said he broke down leaving the theater after seeing the movie for the first time because he was so proud of what they were able to accomplish.

Now Tazewell stands on the edge of history as he could potentially become the first Black male designer to win this Oscar.

“It really does mean the world to have that acknowledgement, to have that approval by so many greats that are you know, our in our industry, it just means the world, it means everything,” he said.

For Tazewell, it all comes back to one thing.

“I want to touch hearts, want to change lives, I want to make a difference and my power, my medium in doing that, is costume design and I’m passionate about it,” Tazewell said. “I hold to that, and I know that I’m good at doing that, and that makes me feel good.”

With the 97th Academy Awards approaching, in a world of Emerald Green, Tazewell’s next color could very well be Oscar gold.

March 2 is Oscar Sunday! Watch the 2025 Oscars live on ABC and Hulu.

Live red carpet coverage starts at 3:30 p.m. ET 12:30 p.m. PT with “On The Red Carpet at the Oscars.”

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The 97th Oscars, hosted by Conan O’Brien, begins at 7 p.m. ET 4 p.m. PT. and will be followed by a special preview of “American Idol.”

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