Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in ‘Michael’.
Credit: Glen Wilson/Lionsgate
NEED TO KNOW
Marci Rodgers recreated pieces from Michael Jackson’s wardrobe for the new movie Michael, in theaters now
Rodgers tells PEOPLE that she was able to see into Michael’s clothing archive as part of her research
She says it was an “honor” to work on this project and highlights some of the details fans will see in the costumes
Michael Jackson‘s wardrobe includes some of the most iconic pieces in fashion history.
The King of Pop, who died in 2009 at age 50, was known for his outfits, which included everything from sequins to metallics, and of course, his signature gloves. In the new biopic Michael about the singer’s early life, Jaafar Jackson (Michael’s nephew), steps into the role in outfits that look like they were ripped right out of Michael’s own closet.
Costume designer Marci Rodgers tells PEOPLE that she recreated and built each look from the ground up, painstakingly finding exact materials to match, down to the thread color.
The movie spans 20 years, from the early days of The Jackson 5 to the closing night of the Victory Tour in 1988. Costumes include the matching red vests the Jackson brothers wore to perform, Michael’s red “Thriller” jacket, the zipper-adorned “Bad” jacket and more.
Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in ‘Michael’.
Credit: Lionsgate
Rodgers tells PEOPLE that she put extensive research into pulling everything together.
“I started with the music,” she says. “I pride myself on saying I had a research book of over 800 pages of just Michael and his family. My goal was to execute out of respect and honor, no matter what, be it Michael Jackson, the adult, or the Jackson 5. And so I’m proud to say I did it.”
While the costume designer doesn’t have any of the Grammy winner’s actual clothing in the movie, she was granted access to his clothing archive to examine some of the pieces. Not everything she needed was there, though, which meant she was using other means for research. That proved difficult when you consider the fact that she was duplicating clothing that existed 50 years ago — before the age of social media and documenting everything in high definition.
“The Victory Tour look, that video has been remixed so many times on YouTube that you’ll never pick up on the fact that there’s bugle beads on the legs,” she says of making the black and white outfit that Michael wore on stage in 1988. “I actually went back to old magazines, like Ebony, Jet Magazine, and even those little photos and Jet Beauty of the Week. That’s how I found that. It wasn’t because of the internet.”
For that look in particular, Rodgers created the white shirt with sparkling Swarovski crystal detail with black-and-white striped pants. The pants are detailed with the bugle beads down the stripes, and the look is complete with crystal-encrusted white socks.
Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in ‘Michael’.
Credit: Glen Wilson/Lionsgate
“I was very particular about the weight of the fabric, the sheen of the fabric to replicate what was worn during that era,” Rodgers says. “Also, being under stage lights and with Swarovski crystals, the size of the crystal, the clarity of the crystal was important. Then we also have the socks, which I was truly adamant about getting right, particularly with what he wore and the notions that were available to him during that time.”
Rodgers also notes that if you look closely at Michael’s socks — which he often wore in a slouchy style that was visible between his loafers and his pants — in early years they were adorned with rhinestones and later years with Swarovski crystals.
One of the details that Rodgers really paid attention to was the color of the pieces, specifically the reds. Michael wore a lot of red pieces, and Rodgers wanted her recreations to be the exact same shade.
“The costume designer of [the ‘Thriller’] short film had to create [the pants],” she reveals. “She created those red pants, so I had to re-create those red pants to match the red pants that we saw when it debuted, but then also what we see now. So I had to meet him under the natural light of the moon in present day and make sure that that hue of color was correct.”
Michael also wore an iconic red jacket for “Beat It,” which Rodgers recreated, and she makes it very clear that those are two different shades of red, even though both music videos came out in 1983.
“They have to be because they weren’t made at the same time, so they’re not the same dye lot, and they’re not the same designer,” she explains. “‘Beat It’ has one red and ‘Thriller’ had a different red, so I had to zone in and out on just that. Just the red.”
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Jaafar Jackson in ‘Michael’
Credit: Lionsgate Movies/Youtube
Every piece that Rodgers outfitted Jaafar in was something that Michael was documented wearing over the course of his life. She opted to take no creative liberties, instead staying true to history. Even the casual looks Michael wears in the movie are comfort pieces that the singer was known to wear.
In some scenes, Michael can be seen wearing jeans and casual button-down shirts, which Rodgers says was his “uniform” when he was at home.
“This would be the moments where we saw more of the intimate side of his life. Michael, the person, more so than Michael, the performer,” she says of these outfits, noting that Levi’s were his go-to jeans.
Rodgers discusses each piece that she created with reverence toward its place in history and for the man who originally wore it. As she lists off all of the creations — from the beaded Grammys look to the Pepsi commercial — she shares deep respect for it all.
“The entire project was really, really an honor.”
Michael is in theaters now.
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