This Filipino designer is behind the iconic hats used in hit film 'Wicked'

Did you know that a Filipino is behind the hats used in the musical fantasy film Wicked?

Harvy Santos, the movie's senior milliner, talked about his work in a My Universal Story video posted by Universal Pictures, the movie's distributor, on Nov. 23.

According to the Pinoy designer, his fascination for costumes started when he was just six years old. He first worked as a ballet dancer, and all his earnings would go to books on garment construction and costume design.

He said that millinery, or the art of hatmaking, is like sculpture.

"You start playing with materials, you start playing with cardboards to experiment with shapes," he said.

Santos said his craft remains "fascinating" and "challenging" to this day, which he likes because it allows him to be "inventive and creative."

"Every day, I'm proud of what I have accomplished and knowing the fact that you're contributing to an epic film," he shared. "That's very exhilarating."

According to The Philippine STAR, Santos studied millinery at Kensington and Chelsea colleges in the United Kingdom.

His award-winning creations have been featured in prestigious magazines like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.

Wicked, based on the musical of the same title, stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

The story revolves around Elphaba (Erivo), a young woman with unusual green skin who has yet to discover her true power, and Glinda (Grande), a popular young female gilded by privilege and ambition who has yet to discover her true heart. 

After meeting as students in the fantastical Land of Oz, Elphaba and Glinda unexpectedly form a close bond. Their friendship, however, gets tested after an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz himself, even as their lives take very different paths.

Wicked: Part One opened in local cinemas on Nov. 20, while its second part is slated for 2025.