Paul Tazewell is a celebrated costume designer with over three decades of experience in film, television, and theater. Renowned for his work across Broadway, regional theaters, and the screen, his creations have captivated audiences worldwide.

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Tazewell's career highlights include Universal's Wicked: Part 1 (released November 27, 2024), where his designs help bring the reimagined world of the beloved story to life, directed by John M. Chu and starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Wicked: For Good is set for release on November 21, 2025. Tazewell received "Best Costume Design" for Critics Choice 2025 and Costume Design Guild Awards for his critically-acclaimed work on Wicked. 

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Additional highlights include his Academy Award®-nominated costume design for West Side Story and his Tony Award®-winning designs for Hamilton. 

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On Broadway, Tazewell's costumes are currently featured in Death Becomes Her.  He earned a Drama Desk Award nomination and a Tony nomination for his costume designs in the 2024 production of Suffs. He was honored with the 2024 NAACP Theatre Award for Best Costume Design for Ain’t Too Proud.

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Tazewell's accolades include an Emmy Award for The Wiz! Live (2016), as well as recognition for his work on Harriet, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. He has received multiple prestigious awards, including two Lucille Lortel Awards, four Helen Hayes Awards, a CDGA Award, and the Princess Grace Foundation's Statue Award.

 

Tazewell has collaborated with some of the world's most esteemed institutions, including The Metropolitan Opera, The Bolshoi Ballet, The English National Opera, and The Public Theater, among others. His Broadway credits include groundbreaking works like Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk, In the Heights, Ain’t Too Proud, The Color Purple, and Caroline, or Change. He has also contributed to revivals such as Side Show, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Guys and Dolls.

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Notably, Tazewell designed the costumes for Fire Shut Up In My Bones, the Metropolitan Opera's first performance of an opera by a Black composer, Terence Blanchard, based on Charles M. Blow’s memoir.

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Tazewell holds an MFA from New York University and a BFA from the North Carolina School of the Arts. He has taught as a guest artist at both institutions and served as a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University from 2003 to 2006.

 

Currently based in New York City, Tazewell’s work continues to inspire and shape the world of design across all mediums.