Designer Paul Tazewell Joins Tamron Hall Show Designer Series
‘Wicked’ Costume Designer Paul Tazewell Joins The ‘Tamron Hall Show’ Designer Series As Mentor
- Tazewell, renowned for iconic designs in Hamilton and Wicked, will share his expertise with diverse designers from non-traditional fashion centers.
- Tamron Hall's designer series provides a platform for independent designers to showcase their work and receive mentorship from industry leaders.
- The series aims to create opportunities for talents who may otherwise be overlooked, celebrating the ingenuity and style of underrepresented communities.
Paul Tazewell has signed on to mentor participants in the up-and-coming designer series on the Tamron Hall Show. Tazewell has designed some of the most memorable ensembles on the big screen over the past decade.
His talent and taste level tell stories across regions and dimensions.
Tazewell brought us to ethereal wonderlands in Wicked and Wicked For Good. He flooded our brains with the perfect shades of bubble gum and emerald. He transported revolutionaries to the lyrical battlefield in Hamilton and set the stage for star-crossed love in West Side Story. His other onscreen credits include the cult classic Lackawanna Blues and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
Tamron Hall shared her excitement about tapping Tazewell to mentor the designers. “Each season we celebrate incredible fashion designers, but welcoming Paul Tazewell brings a beautiful new dimension to the Designer Series. As the visionary costume designer behind iconic productions like Hamilton and Wicked, he reminds us that fashion isn’t just about what we wear—it’s about storytelling, culture, and creating something truly beautiful,” Hall said in a statement to HelloBeautiful.
RELATED: Costume Designer Dominique Dawson Talks ‘GOAT’ And Bringing Street Style to Animation
Offering A Step Towards The Runway
Hall has been highlighting indie fashion talent with up-and-coming designers series each season of her Emmy Award-winning talk show.
The group she will be showcasing this Spring includes Kimaya McPherson, Dutch RicLamar, Urvi Selaska, Fiona Rose, and Ashlyn So. She assembled a diverse group of designers this season. Their hometowns include Coral Springs, Florida, Hampton, Virginia, Mumbai, India, Clover, South Carolina, and San Mateo, California. These are not the expected fashion hubs the industry has always turned to for inspiration. Hall is committed to creating opportunities for everyone through this series.
It’s not about pedigree or connection, just vision.
This year’s chosen designers’ work varies from the delightfully whimsy, to the starkly futuristic, to the elegant and regal. The participants will have the benefit of learning from decorated professionals.
Previous designers in the series have included East Orange, New Jersey pharmacist turned bridal designer Andrea Osei and Grant Gilmore, a moonlighting airline front desk agent with a knack for creating size inclusive ready to wear with razzle dazzle.
Designers need more support than ever. A 2026 report from McKinsey found, “that the global fashion industry will once again post low single-digit growth in 2026.” That growth can be even slower for those who do not have meaningful resources.
Making Connections To Style Heavyweights
Previous series mentors have included the legendary Harlem haberdasher Dapper Dan, the late legendary culture shaper André Leon Talley, stylist to the stars June Ambrose, fashion week architect Fern Mallis, and couture designer Bibhu Mohapatra.
Many of the changemakers navigated an industry that was not as welcoming to their extraordinary talents as it should have been, motivating their efforts to lend a helping hand to those next in line.
Sergio Hudson, who recently reminded us that Black women invented yellow with Regina King’s Vanity Fair Oscars party look, served as a mentor in 2023. Hall has a legacy of supporting independent designers like Hudson. She has worn his clothes on red carpets and attend his New York Fashion Week presentations proudly representing in the front row.
The works of over fifty emerging designers have graced the show’s runway, providing exposure and opportunity to talents that might otherwise be overshadowed by location or circumstance.
Hall seeks to celebrate the ingenuity and taste of the women who surrounded her on her journey to the top with the series. It was envisioned “as a love letter from Tamron to the women Tamron grew up with around Lulling, TX who knew how to do more with less.”
