Emilio Sosa (born February 23, 1967) is a

costume designer A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costume ...

for

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

and is the current Chair for the

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

Board of Trustees in New York City. He is a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nominated costume designer and is best known for his works

Topdog/Underdog ''Topdog/Underdog'' is a play by American playwright Suzan-Lori Parks which premiered in 2001 off-Broadway in New York City. The next year it opened on Broadway, at the Ambassador Theatre, where it played for several months. In 2002, Parks rece ...

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play '' Porgy'', it ...

, and

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark ''By the Way, Meet Vera Stark'' is a play by Lynn Nottage. The play concerns an African-American maid in the 1930s who becomes a film star. Background Nottage received the 2010 Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award for this play. Producti ...

Early life

Emilio Sosa was born in

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

and grew up in South Bronx, New York City. His interest in fashion and design started at the age of 14. While attending school in Harlem, he spent his afternoons taking art and design classes at Manhattan's

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the wes ...

. Additionally, he took free classes Saturdays at Parsons School of Design in Greenwich Village. He continued his passion for fashion design by attending Art and Design High School and Pratt Institute.

Career

Early career

While attending Pratt Institute, Emilio worked a part-time job at Grace Costumes as a shopper and eventually became its

Creative Director A creative director (or creative supervisor) is a person who makes high-level creative decisions and, with those decisions, oversees the creation of creative assets such as advertisements, products, events, or logos. Creative director positions ar ...

in 2006. His first design job out of college was as an assistant costume master for the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, touring domestically and internationally. He made a name for himself by styling music videos for Hip Hop artists, such as Salt-N-Pepa,

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rap music, rapper, Disc jockey, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, Lyte first gained fame in the late 19 ...

, and Kid Play. He later became an in-house stylist for director

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

as an assistant costume designer on his films

Bamboozled ''Bamboozled'' is a 2000 American satirical dark comedy-drama film written and directed by Spike Lee about a modern televised minstrel show featuring black actors donning blackface makeup and the resulting violent fallout from the show's success ...

and

Red Hook Summer ''Red Hook Summer'' is a 2012 American film co-written and directed by Spike Lee. It is Lee's sixth film in his "Chronicles of Brooklyn" series following ''She's Gotta Have It'', ''Do the Right Thing'', ''Crooklyn'', '' Clockers'', and ''He Got Ga ...

Broadway / National Success

Discovered by director George C. Wolfe, Emilio designed his first

show,

. He continued to work on shows designed by

Ann Hould-Ward Ann Hould-Ward (born April 8, 1954, in Glasgow, Montana)Biography and credits
filmreferen ...

, Geoffery Holder, Desmond Heely, Toni Leslie James, and

Paul Tazewell Paul Tazewell is an American costume designer for the theatre, dance, and opera and television. He received the 2016 Tony Award for Best Costume Design for '' Hamilton''. In 2016, he and his design team were awarded an Emmy for their work on ''The ...

. As well as going on tour as a designer for

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

, The Alvin Ailey Dance Company, and the

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

with

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Award ...

. In 2010, Emilio Sosa then went onto

Season 7 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...

Project Runway ''Project Runway'' is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on December 1, 2004. The series focuses on fashion design. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted by time, mater ...

, winning 5 challenges and being runner up in the finale episode. In 2012, he was runner up for Project Runway Allstars. He then went on to co-create the fashion line, Esosa Designs, with his brothers. Celebrities seen wearing Esosa Designs include

Wendy Williams Wendy Williams Hunter ( Wendy Joan Williams; born July 18, 1964) is an American broadcaster and writer. From 2008 to 2021, she hosted the nationally syndicated television talk show ''The Wendy Williams Show.'' Prior to television, Williams w ...

, Taraji P. Henson, and

Uzo Aduba Uzoamaka Nwanneka Aduba (; born February 10, 1981) is an American actress. She gained wide recognition for her role as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren on the Netflix original series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019), for which she won an E ...

Honors & recognition

Emilio was the first designer of color to design the Radio City Music Hall Spring Spectacular and a new number in the 2018 Christmas show, starring

The Rockettes The Rockettes are an American precision dance company. Founded 1925 in St. Louis, they have, since , performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Until 2015, they also had a touring company. They are best known for starring in the ...

. In 2005, he received the

Helen Hayes Award The Helen Hayes Awards are theater awards recognizing excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are named in tribute of Helen Hayes, who is also known as the "First Lady of American Theatre." They ar ...

for Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production for the musical, Señor Discretion Himself. He was announced as the 2003 Design Virtuoso in the American Theatre Magazine. His costume design work on

received the Henry Hewes Award in 2011 and

Lucille Lortel Award The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatre ...

. He was also awarded the LA Ovation Award for the musical Twist, the 2006 Irene Sharaff Young Master Award, and the 2015 NAACP Theatre Awards for the musical

. He has been nominated for a

in 2012 for Best Costume Design in a Musical for

, Best Costume Design in a Play for ''Trouble in Mind'', and the 2004 NAACP Theatre Award for Best Costume Design for

. Emilio Sosa now sits as the Chair for the Board of Trustees for the

List of works

Plays

* Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill *

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...

* Crowns * Trust * Romeo and Juliet *

The Misanthrope ''The Misanthrope, or the Cantankerous Lover'' (french: Le Misanthrope ou l'Atrabilaire amoureux; ) is a 17th-century comedy of manners in verse written by Molière. It was first performed on 4 June 1666 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, Paris b ...

* Sex with Strangers * White Card *

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom ''Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'' is a 1982 play – one of the ten-play Pittsburgh Cycle by August Wilson, and the only one not set in Pittsburgh – that chronicles the 20th-century African-American experience. The play is set in a recording stu ...

Ruined Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

Twist Twist may refer to: In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage * ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist'' * ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...

Fences A fence is a barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., usually made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent entrance, to confine, or to mark a boundary. Fence or fences may also refer to: Entertainment Music * Fences (band), an Amer ...

Skeleton Crew A skeleton crew is the minimum number of personnel needed to operate and maintain an item such as a business, organization, or ship at its most simple operating requirements. Skeleton crews are often utilized during an emergency and are meant to ...

* Frost/Nixon * Artney Jackson * Seize the King *

Sweat Perspiration, also known as sweating, is the production of fluids secreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and apocrine glands. The eccrine sweat glands are distrib ...

* Eve's Song * Man in the Ring * The Light * Do You Feel Anger? *

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...

* The Way She Spoke * Make Believe * The Hot Wing King * 72 Miles To Go * Trouble in Mind (

Nomination)

Musicals

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet Stre ...

ON YOUR FEET! ''On Your Feet!'' is a jukebox musical that played on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre. Based on the lives and music of 26-time Grammy Award-winning husband-and-wife team Gloria and Emilio Estefan, the musical has a book written by Alexander Dine ...

* ExtraOrdinary * MOTOWN: The Musical *

(

Nomination) * Me and My Girl * Invisible Thread *

The Capeman ''The Capeman'' is a musical play with music by Paul Simon and book and lyrics by Simon and Derek Walcott based on the life of convicted murderer Salvador Agrón. The play opened at the Marquis Theatre in 1998 to poor reviews and ran for 68 p ...

* Señor Discretion Himself * Miss You Like Hell * The Scottsboro Boys * Shout Sister Shout!

Other performances / Film

- 2018 Christmas Show *

* Radio City New York Spectacular * New York Knicks City Dancers

List of Theatres Worked For

* Mark Taper Forum Theatre *

Long Wharf Theatre Long Wharf Theatre is a nonprofit institution in New Haven, Connecticut, a pioneer in the not-for-profit regional theatre movement, the originator of several prominent plays, and a venue where many internationally known actors have appeared. Fou ...

* The American Repertory Theatre Production *

Ahmanson Theatre The Ahmanson Theatre is one of the four main venues that compose the Los Angeles Music Center. History The theatre was built as a result of a donation from Howard F. Ahmanson Sr, the founder of H.F. Ahmanson & Co., an insurance and savings and ...

Geffen Playhouse The Geffen Playhouse (or the Geffen) is a not-for-profit theater company founded by Gilbert Cates in 1995. It produces plays in two theaters in Geffen Playhouse, which is owned by University of California Los Angeles. The Playhouse is located ...

Arena Stage Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest, Washington, D.C. Established in 1950, it was the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C. and its founders helped start the U.S. regional theater movement. It is ...

Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the la ...

McCarter Theater McCarter Theatre Center is a not-for-profit, professional company on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. The institution is currently led by Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen and Managing Director Michael S. Rosenberg ...

Roundabout Theatre Company The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizabet ...

Appearances

* Working in the Theatre - Costumes - 2015 * Behind the Scenes Show: The Tony Awards - 2016 * Live from the Red Carpet: The 2016 Tony Awards * Live from the Red Carpet: The 2015 Tony Awards *

Project Runway All Stars ''Project Runway All Stars'' is a spin-off of ''Project Runway'', featuring returning designers competing for grand prizes. Angela Lindvall and Carolyn Murphy have each hosted one season before Alyssa Milano became the staple host of the past fiv ...

- 2012-2014 * Project Runway Season 7 - 2010

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sosa, Emilio American costume designers American fashion designers People from Santo Domingo People from the Bronx Parsons School of Design alumni Pratt Institute alumni High School of Art and Design alumni 1967 births Living people Project Runway (American series) participants