QueenSylvia Akuchie also talks about representation being her ultimate goal on the Peacock reboot, and how that manifests through her use of local labels and designers of color.
“It’s so beautiful to dress them, and they’re all so open and eager,” Akuchie tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I fangirl a little bit over some of the characters.”
Like the ‘90s comedy which was groundbreaking for its depiction of an upper-class Black family, Akuchie prioritizes representation in her role. That trickles down to the designers she works with, like Ron Bass who created a denim vest for Will (Jabari Banks) in episode one of season three, and Charles Harbison, whom Akuchie commissioned to craft the custom wedding dress, complete with a 20-foot train, for Hilary (Coco Jones) in the shocking season three finale.
“I want everyone to see themselves represented no matter where you are in the world, no matter what you’re doing, no matter how you create art,” Akuchie tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I want to make people feel seen and heard. I think that’s why we’re all living and why we’re here in community. We need that.”
Below, Akuchie talks about being deliberate in her use of Los Angeles designers and designers of color, the expensive price tag of season three’s “epic” finale wardrobe, and her hopes for the reboot’s style legacy as the series wraps its third season and awaits a season four renewal.
What does it take to pull off the wardrobe on Bel-Air season after season with a cast this big?
It takes a huge team, lots of research, and going in knowing that I want to make an impact and a change. I want people to not only see the characters in the story, but find themselves in the costume. So, how do I tell that story? How do [I make] people feel seen and represented through costumes? That’s important, because the cast is so big. Everyone has different personalities and different things they’re going through during their storyline. So I’m making sure everyone is amplified.
With Will, early on, you made sure he wore a lot of Philadelphia designers to demonstrate his pride being from West Philly. Did you carry that detail into season three?
Pieces of it. Now he’s living in L.A. so he’s getting a presence that’s a little bit of Carlton (Olly Sholotan), a little bit of Jazz (Jordan L. Jones) and getting the feel of Bel Air. But I have little nods, especially with the season three premiere. He’s wearing a vest at the Juneteenth party that was customized. It’s a denim vest and there’s the graphic of Africa on it and then in that, there’s a little P, which is the nod to Philly, and it’s kind of connecting Africa, Juneteenth and Philly in the sense of who he is and what he’s becoming.
Jabari Banks as Will with Simone Joy Jones as Lisa in season three. Courtesy of Peacock
How many custom pieces do you usually do per season?
It depends on the script, and it depends on how much time we have. With episode one, we have a little bit more time, because it’s the first episode, so we prep for about six to eight weeks. But the finale [this season] is a very, very special episode; everything was pretty much customized. We dyed fabrics — it was such a creative embodiment, and I felt so fulfilled. Throughout the season, I would say there are two or three [custom] pieces per episode. I’m always changing something. I’ll never use a piece as I’m given it. I’ve got to change buttons, I’ve got to change a collar, change the length, the shape, the weight, the structure. I love to play. But the finale is epic. I was so excited for everyone to see it because I literally got goosebumps and chills the day we shot it. It was so gorgeous, and everyone looks amazing in character.
