Behind ‘Wicked’s’ majestic hats is a Filipino milliner

Harvy Santos, a Filipino milliner based in the U.K., designed the stunning hats worn by Glinda Upland (Ariana Grande), Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) and other characters in Jon M. Chu’s two-part film adaptation of “Wicked.” In a Universal Studios featurette, Santos shared that his passion for costume design began when he was 6. “I used to be a ballet dancer. All of the money that I got from dancing, every payday I would buy myself books on garment construction and costume design,” he said. A former dancer with the Hong Kong Ballet, Santos performed in major productions for six seasons, touring Europe, the U.S. and Australia. He later studied millinery at Kensington and Chelsea College, with his award-winning hats featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and other magazines. In 2013, he was named The HAT Magazine’s hat designer of the year. “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 said. “Wicked” premiered on Nov. 22.