Avatar: Fire and Ash Deserved Its Oscar Nomination for Best Costume Design

When Avatar: Fire and Ash received an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design in January, an all too familiar dismissal followed almost immediately: “But it’s performance capture.” While this statement is true, it should not be used to negate the artistry, intention, labor, and design that goes into the costume creation for films such as these.

The incredible team of costume designers working on the Avatar films have a deep understanding that great visual effects begins with grounded, tangible performances. To create an immersive and believable universe, costumes have to do more than simply look good on the screen. They have to work.

James Cameron’s Avatar franchise is known for its meticulous world-building, and Fire and Ash continues this tradition. The costume design within the world of Avatar plays an essential role in translating the depth of Pandora’s diverse ecosystems into something tangible for the people watching. 

Every piece of clothing worn by the the Na’vi people is crafted from materials that are both functional and symbolic, reflecting their deep connection to their homes and nature, their routines, and their devotion–or lack there of–to their deity: Eywa. 

The intricate detailing on the clothing, such as woven textiles, beads, and feather-like elements, mirrors the biodiversity of Pandora. It’s a delicate balancing act between maintaining the fluidity of the Na’vi’s connection to the land while also representing their evolution into more complex roles within the narrative.

At its core, costume design is not merely about sewing garments together to slap onto any given character. It is about world building, character psychology, cultural storytelling, and visual coherence. 

In Fire and Ash, costume design is absolutely inseparable from the narrative. The film introduces new Na’vi cultures shaped by fire, volcanic landscapes, and ideological contrast. As a result, the designs made for these characters are not just decorative pieces, they are deliberate extensions of the various environments, belief systems, and the differing ways of survival each Na’vi group possesses. 

Deborah Scott, the incredible costume designer that has worked on the last two Avatar films, collaborated with Wētā Workshop to create over 3,000 physical costumes for both films, 2,000 of which were made specifically for Avatar: Fire and Ash. “We made all the costumes in real life because of the complexity of the garments” Scott told Forbes in an interview earlier this year. “If you don't have it in real life, you just don't have it. Making them gives a perfect template to turn over to the VFX artists. It's like, we give them the real thing, then they do their thing.” 

Having physical copies of these costumes helps the VFX artists to better understand their reference points–to put their hands on the fabric and see how a piece of molded leather, a string of differing beads, or a heavy weighted cape with various garments on it would move in different scenarios. Scott is an integral piece in helping these artists to utilize their computer language to their best degree, and in return allowing viewers of these films to be completely emerged in the world of Avatar. 

The Academy has long acknowledged that innovation and craftsmanship are not mutually exclusive. Films like Black Panther, Mad Max: Fury Road, and earlier Avatar entries have been rightfully celebrated for costume design that blends traditional techniques with new forms of technology. 

As we near the second week of the 98th Academy Awards having happened, Avatar: Fire And Ash’s loss in the “best costume design” category to Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein does not make the nomination any less deserved. Cinema continues to evolve, resulting in costume design evolving alongside it. If the work done on projects that are nominated for these prestigious awards communicate character, culture, and story at the highest level, they will always belong in the conversation.

This was posted for my work at A Daily Crow