Tazewell, a previous nominee for “West Side Story,” already has an Emmy award (“The Wiz Live”) and Tony award (“Hamilton”) under his belt. He triumphed over fellow costume designers: Arianne Phillips (“A Complete Unknown”), Linda Muir (“Nosferatu”), Lisy Christl (“Conclave”) and Janty Yates and David Crossman (“Gladiator II”). costumedesignersguild.com/press_news/paul-tazewell-makes-oscars-history-as-first-black-man-to-win-best-costume-design/">
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26th Costume Designers Guild Awards Winners
Mussenden is a big believer in reading, not just looking at photographs. She also believes in using fellow costume designers as part of her team. “I never designed a Western before, so I had to start my research from scratch,” she reveals. “I began with the Civil War using Time-Life’s The Old West encyclopedia that I borrowed from my friend, costume designer Kimberly Adams. I hired costume designer Christine Cantella for three weeks to visit all the museums in Texas and take photos.” Additional research included combing through digital libraries.
The costume design is a glorious slow burn with fashion explosions set on high. Courts was thrilled to highlight quite a few Black designers including Andrea Iyamah, Diarrablu, Johnny Nelson Jewelry, Kahlana Barfield, and Sammy B. Courts says, “I always say I stand on the shoulders of my team because they are the ones that push me forward.”
New York Times:
There’s another Oscar-related clothes issue currently getting Hollywood all worked up: the fight for equal pay being waged by the members of the Costume Designers Guild. Costume designers, who are 83 percent female, are paid 30 percent less than production designers (their organizational-chart peers), who are 80 percent male, according to research from the U.S.C. Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and the Annenberg Foundation. costumedesignersguild.com/press_news/lets-talk-about-equal-pay-for-costume-designers/">Read More
In an industry plagued by pay inequity and gender bias, it’s no surprise that costume designers are victims of the same issues. “The majority of costume designers are women, and they are ignored,” says Perez, who’s worked as a costume designer on shows like The Mindy Project. “[The industry] thinking is, ‘Well, it’s just shopping, my wife can do that.’”