‘Wicked''s Paul Tazewell Becomes First Black Man to Win Oscar for Best Costume Design

The costume designer has been steamrolling through the awards season this year.

March 3, 2025

A man in formal attire holding an Oscar statue, posing at an awards event.

(Photo by Maya Dehlin Spach/Getty Images)

Paul Tazewell, the costume designer for Wicked, has become the first Black man to win the award for best costume design.

On Sunday night, Tazewell took home the hardware for his work on Wicked and beat out Arianne Phillips (A Complete Unknown), Linda Muir (Nosferatu), Lisy Christl (Conclave) and Janty Yates and David Crossman (Gladiator II). Tazewell is the second Black person to win the category as Ruth E. Carter made history when she secured the trophy for her work on Black Panther.

Tazewell was nominated in the category before with his work on West Side Story. Tazewell has also been cleaning house at award shows this year, such as the BAFTA, Critics Choice, and Costume Designers Guild.

For Wicked, Tazewell created over a thousand costumes for the film and used the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz, as inspiration. Two of Tazewell's beloved designs are Glinda's bubble dress and Elphaba's black dress.