“I’d like to say I manifested it,” says Marci Rodgers when asked what led her to costume design.
Before recreating the King of Pop’s iconic wardrobe for Michael, Rodgers worked as the assistant director of admissions at her alma mater, Howard University. Determined to pursue design, she studied abroad at Central Saint Martins in London, a turning point that sharpened her focus.
Back in the United States, she trained under acclaimed Broadway costume designer and Howard professor Reggie Ray. While apprenticing with him, Rodgers enrolled at the University of Maryland, where she earned a second master’s degree in costume design.
Introduction To Fate
In September 2014, Ray passed away, leaving Rodgers to complete the work he could not.
“I like to say I inherited a bit of his legacy,” she says. “I was still finishing grad school, and I thought I’d become a major theater costume designer in the D.C. area. But I guess God had other plans.”
That shift came when Rodgers introduced herself to Spike Lee after spotting him in the audience one night. The moment led to collaborations on Pass Over, BlacKkKlansman, and the Netflix reboot of She’s Gotta Have It.
For Rodgers, moving between theater, television, and film requires little adjustment.
“Theater prepared me for everything,” she says. “There’s really no difference.”
What changes is the collaboration. Each set has its own rhythm, its own creative structure. The work remains the same; the environment evolves.
Letting Research Lead
Rodgers approaches historical storytelling with a clear principle; remove ego and follow the research.
While working on Till, which depicts the life of Emmett Till, she had only three known photographs as reference. The scarcity forced her to rely on instinct and discipline.
Credit: Andre D. Wagner / Orion Pictures © 2022 ORION RELEASING LLC. All Rights Reserved.
“I remove my ego from it. I focus on the research. It tells you what it’s supposed to be.”
The process felt almost spiritual, guided as much by intuition as by documentation.
Reviving Michael Jackson, Detail By Detail
With Michael, Rodgers faced the opposite challenge. Her research spanned more than 800 pages. She broke it down by era, studying every detail, from the fabric of Jackson’s Grammy jacket to the fit of his Bad jacket.
At one point, she questioned whether the embellishments on the Grammy jacket were standard sequins. After debating with her team, she trusted her instincts.
“Of course I was right,” she says with a laugh.
Then came the harder task: finding the exact materials to match.
“I became very particular about getting it as close as possible within the production’s limits,” she says. “Sometimes I had to step away just to reset my eye.”
Rodgers had six months to prepare and worked closely with Jafar Jackson, using costumes to help shape his transformation into his uncle. The film opened at No. 1 and has grossed more than $715.8 million worldwide, making it one of the year’s biggest releases.
A Full Circle Moment
She revealed she got the news about the project while visiting her parents and quickly shared it with her family in a deeply personal way. She gave her parents Michael Jackson T-shirts and set one aside for her sister, who had passed away from breast cancer three months earlier.
“That was my way of announcing it,” she says. “Then it was time to focus.”
Her parents also appear briefly in the film, adding another layer to what she describes as a full-circle experience.
Designing Culture And Memory
Rodgers sees her work as more than costume design. It is storytelling through clothing, shaping how audiences understand history and identity.
From honoring the life of Emmett Till to capturing the legacy of Michael Jackson, she approaches each project with care and intention.
“I do think God assigned me to be part of these stories,” she says.
Since Michael premiered, she has heard from viewers who say the film reignited a feeling they had not experienced since Jackson’s lifetime.
“I hope audiences, especially those who may not have known him, feel inspired by what they see.”
Watch our full interview with Marci Rodgers below!
