Harvy Santos, a senior milliner for Wicked, has carved his own yellow brick road to the Land of Oz. Now based in the UK, the Filipino designer is working on some of the most iconic costume pieces for the much-anticipated film adaptation of the beloved musical.
“I originally came from the Philippines,” Harvy shares.
“My fascination for costume started when I was six,” he added.
Surprisingly, Santos didn’t start his career in fashion or design. He first made a name for himself as a ballet dancer with the Hong Kong Ballet. But even then, his passion for costumes was already taking root.
“All of the money that I got from dancing, every payday I would buy myself books on garment construction and costume design,” he reveals.
Determined to follow his dream, he eventually studied millinery at Kensington and Chelsea Colleges in London. His talent for creating unique and imaginative hats earned him widespread recognition, with his designs featured in major publications like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.
Now working on Wicked, Santos sees millinery as a way to merge art and function.
“Millinery is like sculpture,” he explains. “We started playing with materials, to experiment with shapes. Until this post, it’s still fascinating, it’s still challenging, and I quite like those challenges because I get to be inventive and creative with it.”
For Santos, being part of Wicked is a dream come true.
“Every day, I’m part of what I have accomplished, and knowing the fact that you are contributing on an epic film, that’s very exhilarating,” he says.
Tickets out now! Head to your local cinema, or check out their ticketing sites to reserve your seats for Wicked, now in Philippine cinemas.
