Pittsburgh Arts, Regional Theatre, New Work, Producing, Copyright, Labor Unions,
New Products, Coping Skills, J-O-Bs...
Theatre industry news, University & School of Drama Announcements, plus occasional course support for
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni.
CMU School of Drama
Friday, October 04, 2024
Costume Designer Paul Tazewell Partnering with Target on WICKED Product Line
www.broadwayworld.com: Target has announced plans to be the ultimate fan destination for Universal Pictures’ “Wicked” this fall. In the lead-up to the highly anticipated film’s Nov. 22 release, Target will offer more than 150 movie-inspired products in most stores and on Target.com.
10 comments:
Julia H.
said...
I've always believed that theater production should expand its reach by collaborating with different industries, and Wicked is a great example of this. The revenue potential for live theater is limited. Even with a sold-out 2,000-seat theater production, the profit margins are often slim due to the costs of actors, technicians, and rentals for venue. Let alone mentioning the substantial upfront investment. In contrast, a film can reach millions of viewers worldwide simultaneously, offering a return on investment that live theater alone can't match. Leveraging a film's publicity not only provides additional revenue but also extends the life of the production beyond its theatrical run. *Hamilton*’s partnership with Disney+ for streaming is a prime example of how a production can reach a wider audience and generate revenue through different media. Moreover, collaborations with retailers like Target help transform traditionally limited box office earnings into a more diversified and sustainable revenue stream.
It’s insane to see the amount of advertising that goes into a major motion picture like the Wicked movie! Joint brand deals like this are very popular to help promote something. I remember my sister going CRAZY in the early 2010s when the Pretty Little Liars clothing line came out at Aeropostale. There’s an important balance to strike when it comes to designing these clothes. You want the advertising to be subtle enough that people buy the clothes and wear them on the regular, but still have enough of an association with the source material that other people who see them being worn are motivated to either buy them or see the movie themselves. I wonder how Paul Tazewell went about designing streetwear, considering his experience is specific to costume design. The design and manufacturing processes for streetwear and costumes are completely different, so it must have been an interesting task to take on for him.
I find it very interesting that they are releasing the merchandise before the movie comes out but not before Halloween. Wicked and The Wizard of Oz in general fit so well with Halloween and the so called “spooky season”. You might assume that target executives might want to capitalize on the fitting themed season. The other thing that I took away from this article was even though the merchandise is created by the costume designer of Wicked, the pieces still look like target clothing. The colors and quality of the clothes in the pictures doesn't look high end or any different from many of Target's other themed clothing. The one difference that I did notice was that the theming was a little more subtle. The word wicked wasn't plastered across every shirt. Although there was the Wicked W and inspiration behind the sweater showing the slight nods to the franchise rather than yelling its name.
The level and amount of advertising going into the Wicked movie is CRAZY. I’ve been seeing ads for it everywhere for so long, which might speak to the level of outreach and marketing/advertising that is happening for the movie or might speak to the strength of targeting advertisements knowing that I would be someone who it would make sense to show musical advertisements to. Either way, I’m stunned by the money that has gone into advertising the movie before it comes out. I think it is very cool that Target is collaborating with the costume designer for Wicked rather than just designing their own Wicked-themed items. I think it’s a cool way to get a little bit more “realness” to the merchandise, even though at the end of the day it’s still just Target t-shirts and sweaters and stuff. I think it’s interesting that they seem to be focussing on mainly “normal” clothing rather than costumes; I feel like, with Halloween right around the corner, Target could go wild with advertisements for “Wicked Halloween costumes designed by the costume designer on Wicked” and tons of people would go for that.
Seeing this line of merchandise for Wicked reminds me of specifically the clothing items I would see as a child made for various Disney shows and movies. Often in a way that looked as though you were replicating the characters outfits. That being said it’s interesting to me how much product is being made and how much money is being spent on making merchandise for another movie musical when the success of movie musicals has been in decline in recent years. However, given the popularity of Wicked, perhaps the hope is that this film and its part 2 next year will turn the tide. The fact that the film’s costume designer was involved in the merchandising suggests a commitment to authenticity, which is what I hope is channeled in the film itself as it relates to the original musical. The goal should be to invite new audiences into the world of theatre by making it more accessible, not altering or losing the essence of theatre to reach previously disinterested audiences in order to make more money.
This is a fascinating collaboration, and I think it’s so cool that they got the Wicked movie’s Costume Designer to design some of the merchandise. The Oz-themed shop-in-shops are especially interesting to me because they blur the line between advertising retail/merchandise and theatrics. They seem to be like little retail immersive theatrical spaces, with the customer as the main focus. The approach they are taking is akin to what theme parks have been doing recently, adding interactive content through the use of smartphone apps. The transformation of the Jersey City store into the Land of Oz sounds especially like the merging of retail and theatrics. It makes me wonder if the uniforms of the employees will change for this immersive experience. I also wonder how long the new shop-in-shops will stay for, especially since some of them include give-aways which the Target stores would likely not want to keep going for an extended period of time.
I feel like involving the costume designer in the merchandise process, especially the clothing items, should be standard practice. From what I can see it’s created a cohesive and as far as merch goes palatable clothing line. Who better to understand what people would want to wear when leaving the theater to commemorate their experience than the person who curated the original vision in the consumer's mind? I feel like there's a missed opportunity in the film industry to use the films crew to consult with the merch team. I can only imagine the items available if the propmaster had a heavy hand in the design of souvenirs! I often find myself thinking most merch is gaudy and a waste of money but this Wicked Target collab is nearly palatable to me! This is the type of merch you can wear in public and not feel like a billboard about it.
The marketing and advertising for WICKED had been insane. I have seen so many ads, social media posts, articles, blogs, websites, and merchandise surrounding the the release of the new movie, and it had not even come out yet. The fact the approximate 150 items being sold at target isn’t even all of the merchandise being sold for the show, it is only around 70% of the entire merch line is crazy. That means that they’re creating and selling over 200 pieces of merch just for this movie. Wow. That is insane. Some of the apparel that will be featured at Target was created by the costume designer for the new WICKED movie, Paul Tazewell. The new line will be launching in target TODAY!! October 6th!! The line will be rolling out around November 3rd. There are full clothing articles or accessories like bows and brooms. There will also be dolls & make-up lines inspired by the iconic Glinda and Elphaba. The idea that the costume designer gets to make clothes and accessories for Target that represent WICKED is super cool, and I can’t wait to see what the movie brings to the table, along with these clothes.
I first heard of Paul Tazewell when I became interested in costume design four years ago. I remember watching an interview he gave where he discussed the process of designing the costumes for Hamilton, and several of the things he brought up have stayed ingrained in my memory. He spoke about adapting historical patterns so that the costumes would allow the actors to dance and move freely on stage, while keeping the historical accuracy of the garments however possible. He also talked about the struggle his team had with designing the ensemble costumes. I recall him explaining that the eventual decision was to put all the ensemble actors in undergarment style costumes, in order to create a uniform silhouette among all of them, and to keep the attention on the main characters.
I was not aware that he was the costume designer for the film adaptation of Wicked, but now that I know I am even more stoked to see Wicked when it comes out in a month.
The press for Wicked has been very wide-ranging, and is almost reminiscent of the Barbie movie for me. The amount of collaborations is truly awe-inspiring for both of these feature films. Another thing that is very reminiscent of Barbie for me is that so many of these collaborations take place at Target. Target seems to be getting its hands on many more brand deals in recent years than they used to, enough so that I almost wonder if these recent events are small parts of a larger brand overhaul. Aside from the interesting aspect of Target being the main brand deal destination in recent years, the whole concept of the Wicked concept designer also creating the Wicked clothing line is very interesting to me and also seems completely logical. As a costume designer, he knows what the concepts behind the clothing seen in the movie are and can look beyond the physical patterns and colors to replicate the overall feel of the film for the merchandise. I think that this should be common practice when creating clothing collaborations. I can’t wait to see Wicked in theaters!
10 comments:
I've always believed that theater production should expand its reach by collaborating with different industries, and Wicked is a great example of this. The revenue potential for live theater is limited. Even with a sold-out 2,000-seat theater production, the profit margins are often slim due to the costs of actors, technicians, and rentals for venue. Let alone mentioning the substantial upfront investment. In contrast, a film can reach millions of viewers worldwide simultaneously, offering a return on investment that live theater alone can't match. Leveraging a film's publicity not only provides additional revenue but also extends the life of the production beyond its theatrical run. *Hamilton*’s partnership with Disney+ for streaming is a prime example of how a production can reach a wider audience and generate revenue through different media. Moreover, collaborations with retailers like Target help transform traditionally limited box office earnings into a more diversified and sustainable revenue stream.
It’s insane to see the amount of advertising that goes into a major motion picture like the Wicked movie! Joint brand deals like this are very popular to help promote something. I remember my sister going CRAZY in the early 2010s when the Pretty Little Liars clothing line came out at Aeropostale. There’s an important balance to strike when it comes to designing these clothes. You want the advertising to be subtle enough that people buy the clothes and wear them on the regular, but still have enough of an association with the source material that other people who see them being worn are motivated to either buy them or see the movie themselves. I wonder how Paul Tazewell went about designing streetwear, considering his experience is specific to costume design. The design and manufacturing processes for streetwear and costumes are completely different, so it must have been an interesting task to take on for him.
I find it very interesting that they are releasing the merchandise before the movie comes out but not before Halloween. Wicked and The Wizard of Oz in general fit so well with Halloween and the so called “spooky season”. You might assume that target executives might want to capitalize on the fitting themed season. The other thing that I took away from this article was even though the merchandise is created by the costume designer of Wicked, the pieces still look like target clothing. The colors and quality of the clothes in the pictures doesn't look high end or any different from many of Target's other themed clothing. The one difference that I did notice was that the theming was a little more subtle. The word wicked wasn't plastered across every shirt. Although there was the Wicked W and inspiration behind the sweater showing the slight nods to the franchise rather than yelling its name.
The level and amount of advertising going into the Wicked movie is CRAZY. I’ve been seeing ads for it everywhere for so long, which might speak to the level of outreach and marketing/advertising that is happening for the movie or might speak to the strength of targeting advertisements knowing that I would be someone who it would make sense to show musical advertisements to. Either way, I’m stunned by the money that has gone into advertising the movie before it comes out. I think it is very cool that Target is collaborating with the costume designer for Wicked rather than just designing their own Wicked-themed items. I think it’s a cool way to get a little bit more “realness” to the merchandise, even though at the end of the day it’s still just Target t-shirts and sweaters and stuff. I think it’s interesting that they seem to be focussing on mainly “normal” clothing rather than costumes; I feel like, with Halloween right around the corner, Target could go wild with advertisements for “Wicked Halloween costumes designed by the costume designer on Wicked” and tons of people would go for that.
Seeing this line of merchandise for Wicked reminds me of specifically the clothing items I would see as a child made for various Disney shows and movies. Often in a way that looked as though you were replicating the characters outfits. That being said it’s interesting to me how much product is being made and how much money is being spent on making merchandise for another movie musical when the success of movie musicals has been in decline in recent years. However, given the popularity of Wicked, perhaps the hope is that this film and its part 2 next year will turn the tide. The fact that the film’s costume designer was involved in the merchandising suggests a commitment to authenticity, which is what I hope is channeled in the film itself as it relates to the original musical. The goal should be to invite new audiences into the world of theatre by making it more accessible, not altering or losing the essence of theatre to reach previously disinterested audiences in order to make more money.
This is a fascinating collaboration, and I think it’s so cool that they got the Wicked movie’s Costume Designer to design some of the merchandise. The Oz-themed shop-in-shops are especially interesting to me because they blur the line between advertising retail/merchandise and theatrics. They seem to be like little retail immersive theatrical spaces, with the customer as the main focus. The approach they are taking is akin to what theme parks have been doing recently, adding interactive content through the use of smartphone apps. The transformation of the Jersey City store into the Land of Oz sounds especially like the merging of retail and theatrics. It makes me wonder if the uniforms of the employees will change for this immersive experience. I also wonder how long the new shop-in-shops will stay for, especially since some of them include give-aways which the Target stores would likely not want to keep going for an extended period of time.
I feel like involving the costume designer in the merchandise process, especially the clothing items, should be standard practice. From what I can see it’s created a cohesive and as far as merch goes palatable clothing line. Who better to understand what people would want to wear when leaving the theater to commemorate their experience than the person who curated the original vision in the consumer's mind? I feel like there's a missed opportunity in the film industry to use the films crew to consult with the merch team. I can only imagine the items available if the propmaster had a heavy hand in the design of souvenirs! I often find myself thinking most merch is gaudy and a waste of money but this Wicked Target collab is nearly palatable to me! This is the type of merch you can wear in public and not feel like a billboard about it.
The marketing and advertising for WICKED had been insane. I have seen so many ads, social media posts, articles, blogs, websites, and merchandise surrounding the the release of the new movie, and it had not even come out yet. The fact the approximate 150 items being sold at target isn’t even all of the merchandise being sold for the show, it is only around 70% of the entire merch line is crazy. That means that they’re creating and selling over 200 pieces of merch just for this movie. Wow. That is insane. Some of the apparel that will be featured at Target was created by the costume designer for the new WICKED movie, Paul Tazewell. The new line will be launching in target TODAY!! October 6th!! The line will be rolling out around November 3rd. There are full clothing articles or accessories like bows and brooms. There will also be dolls & make-up lines inspired by the iconic Glinda and Elphaba. The idea that the costume designer gets to make clothes and accessories for Target that represent WICKED is super cool, and I can’t wait to see what the movie brings to the table, along with these clothes.
I first heard of Paul Tazewell when I became interested in costume design four years ago. I remember watching an interview he gave where he discussed the process of designing the costumes for Hamilton, and several of the things he brought up have stayed ingrained in my memory. He spoke about adapting historical patterns so that the costumes would allow the actors to dance and move freely on stage, while keeping the historical accuracy of the garments however possible. He also talked about the struggle his team had with designing the ensemble costumes. I recall him explaining that the eventual decision was to put all the ensemble actors in undergarment style costumes, in order to create a uniform silhouette among all of them, and to keep the attention on the main characters.
I was not aware that he was the costume designer for the film adaptation of Wicked, but now that I know I am even more stoked to see Wicked when it comes out in a month.
The press for Wicked has been very wide-ranging, and is almost reminiscent of the Barbie movie for me. The amount of collaborations is truly awe-inspiring for both of these feature films. Another thing that is very reminiscent of Barbie for me is that so many of these collaborations take place at Target. Target seems to be getting its hands on many more brand deals in recent years than they used to, enough so that I almost wonder if these recent events are small parts of a larger brand overhaul. Aside from the interesting aspect of Target being the main brand deal destination in recent years, the whole concept of the Wicked concept designer also creating the Wicked clothing line is very interesting to me and also seems completely logical. As a costume designer, he knows what the concepts behind the clothing seen in the movie are and can look beyond the physical patterns and colors to replicate the overall feel of the film for the merchandise. I think that this should be common practice when creating clothing collaborations. I can’t wait to see Wicked in theaters!
Post a Comment