How Ruth E. Carter and Paul Tazewell Are Paving the Way for Black Costume Designers

Not many people have reached career heights like Ruth E. Carter and Paul Tazewell. For one, they’re the only two Black people to win the Oscar for Best Costume Design (Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever for Carter and Wicked for Tazewell). And their films have quickly entered cinematic canon. Carter is responsible for costuming classic Black films like Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (and almost every other Lee production), John Singleton’s Shaft, Keenen Ivory Wayans’s I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Love & Basketball, Ryan Coogler’s current box office hit Sinners, and many more. Elsewhere, Tazewell has dressed the theater stage for decades—from his Broadway debut, Bring in ’Da Noise, Bring in ’Da Funk to Hamilton, The Color Purple, and Suffs. And on the film side, he’s brought his fantastical touch to West Side Story, Wicked, and the forthcoming Wicked: For Good.

This Sunday, May 4, Carter and Tazewell will be honored at the Brooklyn Public Library’s annual People’s Ball, an event that celebrates fashion, inclusivity, and aesthetic innovation. Ahead of the commemoration, the pair sat with ELLE.com to discuss their trailblazing careers, the significance of this year’s Met Gala theme, and how they both succeeded in forging their own paths as dynamic costume designers.

Ruth E. Carter: Paul, when did we first meet?

Paul Tazewell: As I remember it, we met at the Santa Fe Opera in a craft workshop. I was a junior in undergrad at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and I was directed to be an apprentice at the Santa Fe Opera for a summer between my junior and senior year. And I saw your face and it was the only other Black face in the whole shop. When I spotted you, it gave me some grounding. At that age, it was wonderful to see another Black person who was pursuing what I was pursuing.

REC: That’s right. And I remember thinking, “Look at this guy. He’s got promise.” You had these beautiful sketches and I really admired your artistry.

Tazewell: Oh, thank you. But you were doing it. You were really out there, and it was intimidating for me. I mean, you were working with Spike Lee.

Carter: At the time, there were only a few Black filmmakers working. You could count them on one hand and still have fingers left. Spike, Robert Townsend, and Keenen Ivory Wayans were leading the way in independent film. And Eddie Murphy was doing films in Hollywood, but it wasn’t open to us, really. So, when we met, we were beginning the journey of having Black people in costume design, leading departments. It’s nice to go back and remember that we started together.

Carter designed the costumes for Spike Lee’s 1989 feature Do the Right Thing, among many other films.

Tazewell: We were carving out the path that would later be laid with concrete. We had the ambition to be great designers. And we did it.

Carter: And New York was our playground. You went to New York University.

Tazewell: Yeah, I did my graduate study at NYU for three years. And you went to Hampton University, but you didn’t go to graduate school.

Carter: Right. I went to Hampton and then I started working. I was just trying to figure out how to make it as a designer. And then soon after, I was bicoastal. I was living in my little studio apartment in Koreatown in Los Angeles, and I would work with Robert Townsend, and then Spike would do another movie and I’d come back to New York to work with him. Then I’d go back to L.A. and work with Keenen Ivory Wayans. I was doing so much because there weren’t many of us in the film industry. Most of my friends were working as costumers on big studio films, but they weren’t designing. So that kept me busy for about 14 years. It was a hustle.

Tazewell took home the Oscar for costume design for Wicked earlier this year.

Tazewell: It sounds like it. And for me, I was managing a freelance career at different theaters around the country. And then I finally got invited by George C. Wolfe to design Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk, which was my first Broadway show. And that kept me in New York.

Carter: I always loved theater. I thought theater was going to be where I ended up. But when I met Spike, he was telling me how to get experience in film and I was like, “What is this guy talking about? I’m a thespian.” But, once I started with him, I didn’t look back. I think we’re a testament to perseverance and believing in ourselves. There were no other Black costume designers that could be mentors to us. We forged our own path, and now we’re living, breathing role models to so many who have come behind us.

Tazewell: Absolutely. It’s a privilege, an honor, and a responsibility. And having you as a colleague just warms my heart because I know your passion for what you do. You see it in your work. It’s the same passion that I hope to take hold of and share with people.

Carter: And you absolutely do, Paul. From what I’ve witnessed, you’re very respectful of creativity and what other people offer to your process and how you work with other actors and directors. That’s why you’re respected in the way that you are.

Tazewell: Oh, thank you.

Carter with her Oscar for costume design for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in 2023.

Carter: I was always a bit shy as a costume designer. I was more of a listener than I was a talker. I’m still not a big talker. I think many people around me would be surprised to hear that. But in a professional setting, the more I listen, the more I gain from what other creatives are bringing to the table. It helps me form what I want to do and helps me be more instinctual to the whole picture. I think that’s part of my personality that has sustained me. It’s not imposter syndrome or anything, it’s just being quiet. It’s not about being noisy or judgmental, but about allowing myself to be open to creative thought and collaboration.

Tazewell: I agree completely.

Carter: And it means so much to me to be honored with you at the People’s Ball this Sunday. This event embodies everything that I love about New York City. When I first came here in the ’90s, there were certain neighborhoods that you could be in and you would see creativity, whether it was the Lower East Side, Harlem, or Brooklyn. The People’s Ball brings me back to old New York, so this is a homecoming. I lived in Brooklyn when I was working for Spike, and Brooklyn lives in me. I saw Jay-Z’s exhibition at the Brooklyn Library, and it was incredible to see the story of someone who grew up there and made it big, but didn’t forget where they came from. We’re doing the same thing. We’re saying, “Look at us. We are proof that you can do it, too. The world is your oyster.” I’m super proud to be honored in this way.

Rachel Zegler and the cast of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story remake wear costumes by Paul Tazewell.

Tazewell: My beginning was in Akron, Ohio, which is where I grew up. My first year away from home was at Pratt Institute, which is a few blocks away from where the People’s Ball will be held. So, this is where my story began as I was evolving into who I’ve now become. The People’s Ball is inclusive of everything that we are. It’s a beautiful thing. There is no other person that I am more respectful of than you, because I know what this journey entails. I know what it takes. For you to have won the Oscar twice? I get it.

Carter: There’s the timeless saying that you don’t do this for the awards, you do this for the passion. And we do it for the passion. We do it for the people. The win is the love that we get from the audience.

And as for what I’ll wear on Sunday, I don’t know yet, but I have an idea. This has been the age-old story. I work on my friend’s Halloween costumes and then I have no idea what my costume is because I’ve spent so much time working on everybody else’s. This is the same. I’m grown now and I’m still working on everybody else’s stuff. But it’ll be worked out by Sunday.

Tazewell: The worst question to ask a costume designer, “What are you gonna wear?” But I think the event will be beautiful. And I’m fortunate enough to be attending the Met Gala the following evening. I designed a couple of looks. It’s been a long time coming to shine a light on the fashion and style that is germane to Black culture. Clothing can become an avenue to show self-respect and dignity, so if that’s the spirit that is being offered up on Monday night, then I think it’s a wonderful thing.

Carter: I agree. Black dandyism has always been a part of our culture. We do it in a way nobody else has done it. Because we were disenfranchised, the only way we could really show our joy and our self-esteem was to adorn ourselves. Sometimes that’s all we had. So, I, too, will be attending on Monday. I’ll have some looks on the carpet as well that I’m very proud of. And I’m proud to be invited because I’ve been a part of Black dandyism for years, in my films like Malcolm X and Dolemite Is My Name. I do feel that I have somewhat shaped culture, so this is a celebration.

Tazewell: Absolutely.

Carter: For the Met Gala, I’ll wear the same outfit I wore to the People’s Ball.

Tazewell: I’m gonna clock that. [Laughs] You know, when John M. Chu originally asked me to design Wicked, I wanted to bring authenticity to the characters even though we’re seeing it through the lens of fantasy. Having Cynthia Erivo play Elphaba nailed it for me because when I was listening to the music and thinking about the story, I saw a person who was marginalized for the color of their skin. I know that story. All my sensibility and creativity were imbued into her, and then that trickled out into the rest of the characters as I created the world. The musical has become so popular, no pun intended, and it has such a huge fan base, so it was a huge privilege to be able to explore that.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo wear costumes by Paul Tazewell in Wicked.

Carter: That’s beautiful. Life imitates art. I’ve always been in love with my history. I’ve always wanted to be somewhat of a griot. The images from people like Gordon Parks, Charles “Teenie” Harris, Dorothea Lange, and Eudora Welty live in me. I’m a product of a single parent who was raised in the South. Virginia is our ancestral home, and I’m very enthralled in the history of Black people in Virginia. I can’t help but have a passion for telling our story and believing in our future. And now, with Sinners, you see that my love has not changed. My passion and the way I approach my work is all rooted in history. Whenever I learn something new about our past, it just motivates me to tell the world, and the way I tell the world is through costumes. The way I tell stories is with textiles and color. When actors come into the fitting room and they’re having a consultation with me and we’re going over character details, it’s a transformation process. I can look beyond them because I have done so much research. I can look in their faces and I can see them becoming a part of this time and place, this story. So, my process really is rooted in a deep passion and love for culture and for Black history.

Tazewell: One of the most fun parts about the job is the connection to the people that I’m dressing. That exchange is so exciting for me.

Michael B. Jordan wears costumes by Ruth E. Carter in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners.

Carter: And I love what it does for me. I gain something from each movie that I’m a part of. After every experience, I’m walking a little different. I’m breathing a little different. I’ve learned something new about myself. It could be something like, “I can put those colors together and make it make sense. I was daring with that choice, and nobody thought it was gonna work and it works.” I love every time I can pick a cherry out of the pile. That, to me, is the thing that I can call mine. I love the collaboration and I love the artisans and I couldn’t do this without their help, but the thing that I take [away] is what makes me a better person and a better artist. That’s why I got into this industry. We’re happy as costume designers. We hope that other people will see the joy that this has brought to our lives and the joy that we, hopefully, have brought to others.

Tazewell: Ditto to that. That’s why we’re on this earth.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.