Leading up to the big screen release of “Wicked” on Nov. 22, an exclusive collection by Paul Tazewell, the film’s costume designer, will land at target.com at 7 a.m. ET Thursday and Target stores on Sunday.
The 30-piece clothing line for adults and kids was designed by Tazewell, who received an Academy Award nomination for “West Side Story,” and won a Tony Award for costume design for the Broadway production of “Hamilton.” His other Tony-nominated shows include “The Color Purple,” “In the Heights,” “Memphis,” “A Streetcar Named Desire, “Ain’t Too Proud,” “MJ” and “Suffs.”
In the “Wicked” film, Ariana Grande plays Glinda, a popular young woman who later becomes Glinda the Good Witch, and Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba, a misunderstood young woman born with green skin who later becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. The movie is being released in two parts: one this year, and the second on Nov. 21, 2025.
Tazewell’s designs are geared around these two main characters, supplemented by additional “Wicked” merchandise. Guests will be immersed in the magic of Oz through the retailer’s “Wicked”-themed displays and shop-in-shop and digital experiences.
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According to Tazewell, his Target designs are reflective of what he created for the “Wicked” film.
“It captures the spirit of the look of the film, while creating looks that are appropriate for streetwear. People won’t be walking around in costumes,” Tazewell said in a Zoom interview. “That’s the challenge when you’re managing a design that is set in a fantasy world. How do you reinterpret that for daily clothing?”
Tazewell said they captured some of the patterns that were in the film. “The Shiz uniform stripe appears a lot, and there’s a swirl knit pattern that’s directly lifted from the costume design. It’s a black and gray cardigan.”
The black stripe cardigan is based on the Shiz University uniforms from the film. There’s also a “Wicked” “W” sweater for adults, along with kids’ dresses, graphic T-shirts and a “Sky Is the Limit” hoodie. Retail prices range from $8 to $35.
The Glinda and Elphaba clothing breaks into two camps: sheer fabrics for Glinda and more grounded and darker looks for Elphaba.
For the Glinda merchandise, Tazewell sought to capture an airborne feeling. “We do that with her costumes inspired by the original 1930s film [‘The Wizard of Oz’] but we also used lots of net and organza that has some transparency so it has that feeling of airborne and having the idea of the bubble that she arrives in,” he said.
There’s a maxidress that can be paired with a sweater or short hoodie with iridescent pearls on them. “For the children, there’s a little party dress that’s pink and has sparkles embroidered diagonally across the bottom and a swirl cut flounce,” he said. There’s a pink version and a lavender bubble dress with butterflies and one with butterflies in the print, a major theme with Glinda.
“For Elphaba, because her palette is dark, we have a lot of black,” Tazewell said. “With Elphaba’s look, I tap into a more organic and textured quality in her clothing. We’ve been able to capture that in a party dress that pairs with the Glinda dresses as well. It has green sparkle glitter that applies to the skirts as well for the kids.
“I would probably say my most favorite is the cardigan that is referencing the Shiz uniform sweater. It’s the same sweater we have on Elphaba so its very close to my heart,” Tazewell said.
So what does he anticipate will resonate more with kids: Elphaba or Glinda?
“It depends on the personality of the kid. That’s what’s so wonderful about the line overall. There is an inclusive quality about all of the clothing,” he said. In fact, he said he had on a green sweater that was done in women’s sizing, but it’s appropriate for a man to wear as well. “It’s very gender inclusive,” he said.
Rounding out the line are sweatshirts and T-shirts with the “Wicked” logo and “Defy Gravity,” which is a running theme. There’s also the swirl patterning and the Flying Monkeys as almost an Escher print across sweatshirts, he said.
Jill Sando, Target’s executive vice president and chief merchandising officer of apparel and accessories, home and hardlines, said, “The magic of Target’s approach to style is that it shows up in all of the ways people want to celebrate and express themselves, which is what makes Paul Tazewell’s collection for Target so special.
“This exclusive assortment is about helping children and adults embrace fantasy in a wearable way — with ‘Wicked’-inspired apparel, accessories and shoes that are on-trend and affordable at a moment that is so relevant in culture. Helping to make amazing designers like Paul Tazewell more broadly available is a great example of Target at our best,” Sando said.
Tazewell said he “had a blast” designing for the film and Target. “The overall process of designing both films that lasted for two years was a lifetime experience. To be able to carry that into and share it with a larger community is really thrilling,” he said. Tazewell worked on the Target collection for about five months. He never had the opportunity before to collaborate with a company like Target, which has done many collaborations with companies like Disney over the years. “This collaboration is probably one of the most extensive that I’ve ever seen, which opens up to other products as well such as blankets, throws and pillows, along with nugs and the Mattel doll,” Tazewell said.
The “Wicked” merchandise is targeted to the youngest demographic, but it will also appeal to adults. “It’s a family-oriented story, and the main focus and theme is inclusivity and self-empowerment,” Tazewell said.
Target will also carry “Wicked” products by companies such as Lego and Mattel which go into all the major retailers, bringing the total at Target to 150 stock keeping units of “Wicked” merchandise.
Tazewell said the line he created can be worn any time of the year. “That’s the wonderful thing. It isn’t limited to Halloween. While somebody could choose to wear it from Halloween, the focus was to make it wearable for holiday wear, to wear it to school and to be self-expressive. It’s more appropriate for school clothes and loungewear,” said Tazewell, noting there are sweatsuits for young men and women, along with slippers. “There are all types of garments appropriate for any time of day,” he said.
So how closely does it resemble the costumes he designed for the film?
“They are reflective of, but not directly a copy of, the film looks,” he said. “Anyone purchasing the garments, the clothes will have a point of reference such as the sheer net skirts and dresses and the butterfly dress, those have the spirit of Glinda’s clothing without being a direct copy. They’re also in the same color palette and have the same quality,” he said.
The clothes will be sold through the holidays, but won’t go into spring. But with another film coming out next year, it could open up another collaboration. It’s one big story, divided into two parts.
“I would love if they would consider that. We’ll see if that happens,” he said. He said it would be great to represent some of the other looks and characters.
As a costume designer, Tazewell said it’s hard to beat the “Wicked” experience.
“This kind of film gives you the opportunity to really explode and create a world that is really magical,” he said. “To have the opportunity to design the clothing for it is where my heart lives,” he said.
Tazewell said both Target and Universal representatives approached him about designing a collection. “We were working pretty closely to formulate what all the looks would be, creating initial development and making final choices.”
Tazewell said he hasn’t designed a fashion line before. Most of his work has been for live performance or film. An upcoming project is designing the costumes for the Broadway show, “Death Becomes Her,” whose previews begin Oct. 23 and will open Nov. 21. The show stars Megan Hilty, Jennifer Simard, Christopher Sieber and Michelle Williams.
Reflecting on the overall Target experience, he said, “This was an amazing opportunity to venture into fashion as well — designing for fashion or designing toward trend and what is marketable. You’re tapping into the market and what people will actually wear. It was important to pivot the design ideas toward something that was much more marketable and could be everyday wear. It has a broader appeal for that reason,” he said.
“Halloween is only one day. We’d like for everyone to feel comfortable wearing this at any time,” he said.
