Paul Tazewell Makes Oscar History with Best Costume Win

History was made at the 97th Academy Awards, which were held on Sunday night, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles.

Paul Tazewell won his first victory and second nomination under the “Best Costume Design” category with his brilliant work design for the movie “Wicked.”

Even though he has been nominated for this award before for his work on “West Side Story,” winning the award on Sunday made him the first Black man and the second black person

to do so.

This historic win follows the footpath of Ruth E. Carter, the first Black person to win the Best Costume Design Oscar for Black Panther in 2018.

The other nominees for the category this year were Linda Muir for “Nosferatu,” Janty Yates and David Crossman for “Gladiator II,” Lisy Christl for “Conclave,” and Arianne Phillips for “A Complete Unknown.”

Paul Tazewell received a few standing ovations for his winning speech, which included the statement, “I’m the first Black man to receive the costume design award, I’m so proud of this.”

“I’ve been designing costumes for over 35 years; that has been on Broadway, and now it’s film; there was never a Black male designer who I saw that I could follow and see as an inspiration. But to realize now that it’s actually me,” he added.

Tazewell also congratulated “Wicked” actors Ariana Grande and Cynthis Erivo in his winning speech.

“To my muses, Cynthia and Ariana, and all the other cast, thank you for trusting me with bringing your characters to life. This is everything,” he said.

He also gave a shout-out to Ruth E. Carter, whom he claimed “cleared the path for designers of color.”

Tazewell’s Career Leading to this Moment

Tazewell, who is a costume designer for theater, dance, movies, operas, and television, rose to fame with theater productions such as The Color Purple, In the Heights, MJ the Musical, and many more.

The nine-time Tony nominee established a famous career after winning a Tony for his work in the musical “Hamilton.”

He went on to get an Emmy in 2018 for his costume work on “The Wiz Live! and in 2019, he collaborated with Erivo on his debut feature film, “Harriet.”

Before the Oscars he received on Sunday, Tazewell had already had several awards bestowed on him for his beautiful work in 2024’s “Wicked.”

These awards include victories at the British Academy Film Awards, Costume Designers Guild Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and BAFTAs.

The celebrated designer also conveyed his appreciation to his loved ones and coworkers on Sunday night, saying, “I would not have been able to accomplish this without the wonderful work of everyone in the UK.”