written by Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair

When James Cameron moved the central characters of his long-awaited sequel from the trees to the seas, it meant creating an entirely new look for the Metkayina reef-people clan. Costume designer Deborah L. Scott started in the real world, creating hundreds of looks for what would be entirely digital characters. "Every single costume you see, every piece of jewelry, every bead in the hair, is all real," says Scott. Because the Metkayina spend much of their time in the water, she and the VFX team studied how all the clothing would react underwater. They even put costumes on the actors over the performance capture suits, allowing them to feel what their characters were wearing. Says Scott, "It became really obvious to us that the real thing is better than anything you can fabricate." 

Full Article in Vanity Fair's February 2023 Awards Insider Issue