Paul Tazewell made history by becoming the first Black man to win the Oscar for costume design for his work on “Wicked.”

Speaking backstage after his win, Tazewell spoke about the significance of his historic win. He said, “This has been the goal of my career. I’ve been designing costumes for over thirty-five years, and the whole way through, there was never a Black male that I saw.” He added, “To realize that that’s actually me, it becomes no place like home.”

Variety asked Tazewell — who now has an Oscar, an Emmy award and Tony, and needs only a Grammy award to achieve Egot status — what he would say to his younger self. His message was concise: “Hold on tight. It will all be fine.”

Asked about the costume designers who’ve inspired him along that journey, Tazewell named Iris Van Herpen, Ann Roth and Ruth E. Carter,...