By Mamie Bah
March 3, 2025 / 6:14 PM EST / CBS Pittsburgh
Paul Tazewell, an Akron, Ohio, native and former faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University, made history Sunday night at the 97th Academy Awards when he became the first Black man to win an Oscar for best costume design for the theatrical adaptation of the Broadway musical “Wicked.”
It is his first win and second nomination after he was previously nominated in the category for his work on Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.”
“I’m the first Black man to receive the costume design award,” he said in his acceptance speech. “I’m so proud of this.”
Tazewell, who held a faculty position at Carnegie Mellon from 2003 to 2006, designed over 1,000 looks for the film.
“I was [at CMU] from 2003 to 2006. It was a beautiful time. I met great people, [and] very talented students. I really enjoyed that nurturing. I really enjoyed nurturing that young talent.”
Tazewell comes from a family of artists similar to him. His mother was an artist and educator, while his grandmother was a painter.
Nearly two years ago, he spoke with KDKA-TV’s Director of Community Impact, Lisa Smith, while working on “Wicked.”
“When you think about my training as a dancer, I understand how a body moves in space and what that feels like and I translate that into clothing, and what the fabric does when it’s moving, and different kinds of fabric,” he said.
He’s been designing costumes for 35 years. Tazewell’s other work includes “The Color Purple,” “Memphis,” the Michael Jackson musical, among many other films.
Alongside the Academy Award, he has also earned a Tony Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
“There was never a Black male designer that I saw that I could follow, that I could see as an inspiration, and to realize that’s actually me, it becomes a “Wizard of Oz” moment,” he said.
