RYAN FLEMING for DEADLINE
While Dominique Dawson didn’t plan to be a costume designer at first, she found it allowed her to connect more with the story and characters. “I actually went to NYU for directing,” says Dawson, “and while I was directing I just became so drawn to the story that the clothing was telling.”
Based on the comics of the same name, DMZ follows Z (Rosario Dawson), an urgent care worker who travels into the DMZ, or demilitarized zone, to search for her son. Eight years ago, Z was separated from her son when she escaped Manhattan before it became a warzone. In her search, Z runs into an old friend in Wilson (Hoon Lee) and must contend with an old enemy, Parco (Benjamin Bratt), along with his muscle Skel (Freddy Miyares).
Dawson worked closely with DMZ showrunner Roberto Patino to create the style of the DMZ. Dawson says they decided the most important thing was “delving into the heartbeat of New York City. We wanted to be able to show the melting pot of all these different cultures and classes, and really keep it as raw and real as possible.”
