From opulent ceremonial gowns to covert rebel uniforms, the costume design in the second season of Andor is a masterclass in storytelling through costume. In this exclusive interview, costume designer Michael Wilkinson opens up about the layered storytelling behind the costumes of the hit Star Wars series. From the transformation of Mon Mothma—from Chandrila’s political elite to a stripped-down rebel figure on Yavin—to the spycraft duality of Luthen Rael, Wilkinson breaks down the season’s boldest design challenges. With thousands of original costumes built from scratch, Wilkinson and his team crafted a world that blends military realism, cultural specificity, and a thrilling sense of cinematic evolution as Cassian Andor steps fully into his legacy.
Spencer Williams: I’m so excited to welcome back our friend, costume designer Michael Wilkinson. Hey, Michael—how’s it going?
Michael Wilkinson: Hey! I’m doing really well. Nice to speak with you again.
Spencer Williams: The anticipation for this second season has been unreal. Now that the series is out and complete, I just want to take a moment to reflect. Especially with the overwhelming positive fan response—people love the show, and they love the costumes. What have the past few weeks been like, seeing everyone react in real time?
Michael Wilkinson: It’s been pretty overwhelming—really gratifying. It’s been about five years since I started working on Andor, across two seasons. The work represents a tremendous amount of dedication from many people. Our costume department averaged around 90 team members—tailors, embroiderers, milliners, textile artists, fabric sourcers, wardrobe staff, office runners—just a mammoth effort.
We produced approximately 20 hours of content over two seasons, which is equivalent to creating eight feature films. It was nonstop—new costumes, new characters every day. And we wanted every costume to be as interesting and compelling as the fans hoped it would be. It’s been an amazing ride.
Spencer Williams: It really shows. There were no lulls—it just kept building and getting more epic. Even the quieter moments felt like they were leading up to something big. Before we dive into the final details of Season Two, I want to ask about your collaboration with showrunner Tony Gilroy. Coming off of Season One and prepping for Season Two, what were those early conversations like? What were the expectations heading into the new season?
Michael Wilkinson: We wanted the characters to feel authentic and grounded. We weren’t treating this like a typical action series—it was a drama for adults, with incredible detail. Tony’s characters are complex, flawed, and fascinating, which is such a gift for costume designers. We got to figure out how to express all of that through their clothing.
And then we had the challenge of going to nine different planets, each needing its own identity—its own culture and costume language. That was incredible.
We had a few key rules: nothing could be ornamental just for the sake of looking cool. Every choice had to serve the character and the story. Fabrics, silhouettes—tight, loose, sumptuous, rough—we used the full spectrum in Andor, diving deep into those details.
Spencer Williams: Yes! And we’re going to break down some of these incredible worlds. I’m excited to dig in.
Let’s start with Cassian Andor, who really is the heart of this series. We’ve known this character for nearly a decade now. In Season Two, he has a newfound confidence. It’s still a dark time, but he’s not the same newcomer we met in Season One. Tell me about the arc you got to show with him—how we see his growth, especially through the disguises he takes on.
Michael Wilkinson: Exactly. He’s halfway through his journey toward becoming the disciplined, committed leader we see in Rogue One. In Season One, he’s a bit of a mess—disappointing people, lacking discipline. By Season Two, he’s starting to find his way. He’s still learning, but he’s more focused.
We first see him in an Imperial test pilot suit for the first few episodes. I loved the audacity of putting our Rebel hero in that uniform. I designed it based on the standard pilot look but added a red panel across the front to indicate it’s a test version—not a fully approved one.
He visits Ghorman twice—first as a stylish fashion designer, and then disguised as Ronni Googe, a war correspondent. Later, he’s on a mission to extract someone from the Senate, so that outfit had to blend in with the Senate crowd—more formal, more structured. And eventually, he ends up in Yavin.
So overall, he wears an incredible range of looks this season. I think we made about 17 different costumes for him, each with five or six multiples for stunts and photo doubles. The “Team Cassian” crew in the costume department was working nonstop on some very detailed builds.
Spencer Williams: I want to take a moment to talk about a planet we see early in the season—Mina-Rau. When we meet the Ferrix refugees like Bix, they’ve settled in a farming community, and I was really fascinated by the textiles and colors you chose. It helped them feel like they truly belonged there. Can you talk about those choices—how you helped them blend in while also reflecting the agricultural environment?
Michael Wilkinson: One of the real joys of designing for Andor is the chance to define these distinct cultures. The production designer, Luke Hull, and I talked a lot about how to give each place its own palette, its own textures. We asked: What resources are available to these people? What materials would they use to build their homes—and their clothes? What do they value as a culture?
With Mina-Rau, we leaned into a very human, grounded aesthetic. The clothing is worn-in, practical—there’s a beautiful utilitarian, workwear quality. Everything feels hand-patched, hand-stitched. We wanted this sense that every piece had been touched and repaired by human hands.
It was the complete opposite of anything Imperial—where everything’s black and white, sharp, fastidiously tailored, and militant. So for Mina-Rau, we used hand detailing, visible mending, even punched threadwork—anything to communicate that personal, lived-in quality.
Spencer Williams: It came through beautifully. And it was so nice to see some warmer tones too, which we don’t get much of in anything Empire-related.
Michael Wilkinson: Totally. I’m a real fan of workwear and utility wear in general—I find it fascinating. So it was a great opportunity to explore references like Japanese workwear, indigo-dyed aprons, hand-stitched shirts… it was just a really lovely design challenge.
Spencer Williams: Let’s talk about one of my favorite planets this season: Ghorman. It’s fashion-focused—basically a costume designer’s paradise. It’s known for producing beautiful fabrics, and Andor’s disguise as Varian Skye, the fashion designer—it was so good. Honestly, I immediately thought of Karl Lagerfeld.
Michael Wilkinson: That was the idea—something completely opposite from what we associate with Cassian’s usual look. We wanted something dramatic and tailored, very formal and sophisticated. We leaned into that contrast and had a lot of fun with it.
And yes, we absolutely looked at figures like Karl Lagerfeld—those iconic fashion designer archetypes—but imagined a more futuristic, off-world version. Our incredible tailor Rob Sutherland and I developed this layered, sharply tailored, dramatic suit, topped with a flowing cape. So when Cassian walked the streets of Ghorman, he had this wonderfully flamboyant silhouette.
Diego loved it. I think from the moment he read it in the script, he was looking forward to wearing that costume. We built this whole characterization—from the suiting to the accessories: the rings, the tie pins, and of course, the visor. It gave him this sense of intrigue and self-confidence that felt right for Ghorman.
Spencer Williams: Honestly, Diego could wear this to the Met Gala in real life and it would be completely believable—I loved it for that.
And with Ghorman being such a fashion-centric planet, I wanted to ask about the population. Everyone there had a shared aesthetic, a real visual cohesion. And Syril—he really settles into the community here.
Michael Wilkinson: Yeah, Ghorman’s an interesting planet because it’s a very proud, cultured society. They have a tradition of fine textiles, and it’s the site of a very extreme human rights violation by the Empire—where the Empire comes in and stamps out this whole culture.
So storytelling-wise, we needed it to feel intensely noble and human. The idea of this culture being crushed and destroyed needed to hit hard—it’s horrific. We looked into mid-century Europe and cities like Milan and Paris that had these incredible fashion traditions and elegant ways of dressing. It’s quite conservative and traditional, but very deliberate.
We built a special palette for Ghorman: lots of neutrals, elegant beiges, whites, greens—beautiful fabrics, of course. It’s not a flamboyant or flashy planet, but it’s extremely considered, noble, and refined. And we liked the idea of Syril being influenced by that world when he arrives.
In Season 1, we’d already established that Syril is quite self-aware about his appearance, so it made sense that he’d adopt aspects of Ghorman’s aesthetic. His look starts shifting—from Imperial bureaucrat to someone exploring the expressive qualities of clothing and enjoying fine fabrics. He buys himself a Ghorman trench coat. He wears a belt like the locals. He has a sharply tailored dark brown wool overcoat with a velvet scarf.
He’s really leaning into these beautiful textiles and embracing the more aesthetic pleasures of life—which of course, makes the Empire’s eventual crushing of this world all the more tragic.
Spencer Williams: Right. I feel like Syril’s costume tells a story too—because when we get to the end, you can see he’s quietly disapproving of what’s about to happen on Ghorman. He’s not stopping it, but he’s also not in favor. His costume shows how much he’s adapted—as if he’s come to feel at home here, which really adds to the tragedy.
Michael Wilkinson: I’m glad that came through.
Spencer Williams: Are you ready to talk about Chandrila? Because that could be its own podcast, honestly. The home planet of Mon Mothma—if I saw that on a script, I’d think, “Okay, well this is going to be a huge set of episodes.”
So, similar to Ghorman—can you talk about how you approached designing the culture of Chandrila? It’s so ornate and detailed, but also deeply rooted in tradition. There’s a kind of structure and uniformity to how the people dress—almost like a ceremonial code.
Michael Wilkinson: Absolutely. You really hit the nail on the head. We wanted to depict an ancient culture—something elegant and precious, but also quite controlled and potentially restrictive. Chandrila is built on traditions and rituals.
We did that deliberately because we wanted to show how Mon is becoming increasingly stifled. Her inner conflicts are growing and starting to overwhelm her, and more and more, the clothing and culture of Chandrila feel like something she needs to escape from.
That culminates in the final scene of the wedding, where Mon loses herself in the dance—trying to forget all of her troubles, letting herself get swept up in this intoxicating ritual. That scene defined a lot of our approach, because I knew I wanted the clothing to move beautifully—to create shapes, to add to the sense of beautiful chaos as the wedding transforms into this almost rave-like experience on Chandrila.
We looked a lot at Japan and Korea for references, and also at contemporary designers who work with movement and structure. We found a place in the UK that does incredible pleating with beautiful textures. Our fabric scouts were constantly out looking for the most sumptuous, expressive materials we could find.
It was an incredibly joyful creative experience. We had about 500 extras, and we made every costume from scratch. We had an entire section of the workroom dedicated to designing and building new shapes and silhouettes for every guest at the wedding.
Spencer Williams: Yeah—it’s truly stunning. And since we’re talking about Chandrila and the wedding, I read that Mon goes through six different costume changes just for the three-day wedding alone. That’s quite the feat!
Take us back to designing that lineup for Mon, who, I have to say—and I think I said this the first time we talked—is every costume designer’s dream.
Michael Wilkinson: Thank you, Spencer. I have to say, collaborating with Genevieve O’Reilly has truly been a career highlight. She’s incredibly intelligent and intuitive, and our fittings were long and very detailed. We thought deeply about how the fabrics moved, how they made her feel, and how they could reflect both self-expression and emotional constriction.
So, for the three-episode arc, she has six major costume changes.
We see her first when the guests are arriving—she’s in a kind of hostess look, welcoming everyone. Then there’s the reception that evening, where she wears the blue gown with the pleated shoulder capes. The next morning, she has a beautiful dressing gown during the breakfast argument with her husband.
Then, as part of the Chandrilan wedding tradition, they hike up a mountain to offer blessings to the gods. That gave us a chance to design a more exterior, ceremonial look for the whole family.
The night before the wedding, there’s a dinner for important guests and family—Mon wears a formal Grecian-draped gown in a soft pinkish tone. And then finally, there’s the wedding itself: she wears an orangey-golden pleated gown with a veil, which she ends up swirling and dancing in during the final scene.
Spencer Williams: When it’s all said and done, I’m going to need a coffee table book that’s just full of Mon Mothma’s costumes from Andor Season One and Two, please.
Michael Wilkinson: [laughs] Let’s see what we can do.
Spencer Williams: Perfect. Let’s talk about the Imperials for a moment. I have to say, I’m actually a big Dedra fan. She just has such an attitude, and I find that very relatable. She’s cranky all the time—and I love that.
What was exciting this season was seeing her outside of work and actually take a breather. But even when she’s not on duty, she still feels so structured and buttoned-up. She strikes me as someone who could never actually relax—and that really comes through in her costume. She’s elegant, sure, but it’s almost like she has a uniform for being at home, too.
Michael Wilkinson: Definitely. I mean, I think this is the first time in Star Wars that we get to see an Imperial officer in a domestic environment. As soon as I read that scene, it kind of blew my mind—what does that even look like?
Spencer Williams: It was quite jarring. I was so excited for it.
Michael Wilkinson: Right? But we really thought that Dedra’s worldview is black and white—whether she’s at home or at work. So we imagined she’d bring the same sense of precision, control, and discipline to her home looks that she brings to her Imperial uniform.
I designed some looks for her that followed that same razor-sharp, tailored aesthetic. Everything had to be as perfect as possible. She has this obsessive quality, and Denise Gough—who plays Dedra—was so thrilled to finally be out of her uniform for a couple of scenes. We spent a lot of time creating very specific, structured looks with geometric detailing, metallic accents… little design elements that gave her an edge.
But everything was still rendered in stark blacks and whites, with precise piped stitching. It was really satisfying to explore Dedra’s domestic life—if you can even call it that.
Spencer Williams: Right. It felt like seeing the Easter Bunny or something—you just don’t get that very often. And from a costume design point of view, it was fascinating to define what home life might look like for someone whose entire world is the Empire. Dedra is definitely one of those people.
Michael Wilkinson: She absolutely takes her work home with her.
Spencer Williams: I’d say so!
Michael Wilkinson: One of my favorite moments is when her potential future mother-in-law, Eedy Karn, shows up—and everything that Dedra isn’t comes bursting into this tightly controlled environment.
Edie walks in wearing this wild tangerine caftan—kind of a muumuu—that is just the polar opposite of Dedra’s aesthetic. It’s probably her least favorite color, and it has all these eccentric details. You can almost feel Dedra’s disgust the second Edie enters the room. It was a lot of fun to play with that visual tension.
Spencer Williams: Even in a galaxy far, far away, we’re still dealing with in-laws who get on our nerves.
Michael Wilkinson: Absolutely.
Spencer Williams: I was really excited to see Orson Krennic return. He’s the main antagonist of Rogue One, and it’s been quite a while since we last saw him.
When you see Krennic, you know trouble is coming—and in this case, he definitely brought it. He’s a pretty bad guy, but I’ve always loved his costume. He wears that cape with such elegance, even though he’s so severe. Because it’s been nearly a decade since we last saw him—outside of animation. I’m guessing this costume wasn’t just waiting in a box for you?
Michael Wilkinson: Oh, I wish, Spencer. That would’ve been lovely. But no—the costume didn’t exist in the archive. And honestly, we wanted to make it our own anyway.
You’re right, though—we haven’t seen him on screen in years, so we knew we had to reference that iconic look right away. As soon as he appears, we wanted viewers to recognize him instantly. Ben Mendelsohn wears that costume so well. The way he moves, how he uses the cape—it’s all so intimidating and commanding. But since the original wasn’t available, we had to recreate it from scratch.
And then… the fun part. There’s a scene where Krennic attends a political party, so I got to design an evening version of his uniform. A sort of formal dress look.
We remade the cape in this lustrous satin material, added special detailing—collar pieces, a beautiful cross-strap with braid across his chest. It’s your classic military dress uniform, but with a Star Wars twist.
Spencer Williams: I really appreciated that, too. It reminded me so much of how, in our real world, we’ll see members of the military at formal events in a more elevated version of their uniform—a look that communicates polish and respect.
Michael Wilkinson: The ISB alone gave us such a fascinating world to explore. And Tony really had us dive into all these interesting corners of the Imperial universe—different types of uniforms, like urban combat, ISB hospital staff… We explored a wide range of roles. Even within uniforms, there’s this amazing opportunity to be creative—referencing real-world history but also extrapolating and designing something fresh and compelling for the Star Wars universe.
Spencer Williams: It’s a huge accomplishment to keep expanding this universe that’s been around since the 1970s. You’d think we would’ve seen every version of a uniform by now, but it just keeps evolving. That’s part of what makes Andor so special.
Another character whose costume really stood out was Luthen Rael, who constantly has to adapt and blend into different environments. He’s always looking the part in his gallery, but once he steps out, he’s a man on a mission—a master of disguise. He’s the one who teaches Andor how to do it. Could you talk about the challenge of designing for these two sides of Luthen?
Michael Wilkinson: That was one of the most exciting design challenges of the season. There are essentially two versions of Luthen. The gallery owner, who’s posing as this charming, warm antiques expert—someone who puts people at ease and gains their trust. He’s gathering intel, so we wanted him to look polished, harmless, and approachable. His gallery costumes were built from beautiful layers—waistcoats, overcoats, drapey trousers, rich jewel tones, and refined accessories. Very elegant, very styled—someone you’d trust with your life’s secrets.
Then we have what we call “Natural Luthen,” the spymaster. That version wears a dark, mysterious cloak I designed for the streets of Coruscant. He blends in, doesn’t draw attention. And then there’s a third version, when he’s piloting the Fondor Haulcraft. For that look, I wanted to suggest the beginnings of the Rebel Alliance—a silhouette that felt slightly military, but with handcrafted textures and detailing. It’s not a uniform like the Empire’s; it has personality. Something expressive, layered with story and individuality. That contrast between his two worlds was really fun to explore.
Spencer Williams: You mentioned how we’re digging deeper into all these different cultures—especially the Empire—but another big part of this season was how much time we got to spend in the Senate. Our time there in past stories has been so brief. This time, we really got to sit in it and meet more of the senators. Can you discuss that challenge, and also take a moment to shout out your incredible crew?
Michael Wilkinson: Absolutely. Huge shoutout to my crew. The Senate was a mammoth task. We had to show the full spectrum of Senate life. That meant representing senators from across the galaxy—each with their own culture and identity reflected in their clothing—as well as all the support staff. Bureaucrats, journalists, aides, security guards—we built distinct looks for all of them. My team and I created a stock of costumes for approximately 500 extras, each with a distinct silhouette, fabric, and color palette, based on their planet, profession, and social status.
The process involved everything from designing and cutting to distressing, fitting, and final lineups. It was lots of early call times—5:00 AM mornings at Pinewood Studios. We also filmed exteriors in Valencia, Spain, which required onboarding a new team and ensuring they were fully aligned with the show’s look and tone. It was truly a team effort, and I couldn’t be prouder of the detail we brought to life.
Spencer Williams: It’s stunning. I can’t wait to go back and rewatch just to spend more time in the Senate and absorb all that detail. There’s so much to take in.
Unfortunately for Mon Mothma, though, her time in the Senate doesn’t end on a high note. By the end of the season, she’s leaving it behind and stepping fully into her role as a rebel leader on Yavin. That’s quite the transformation. But at the same time, we know she’s becoming the character we first met back in the 1980s, so that silhouette has always been coming. Tell me about ending the season with Mon Mothma and that Yavin look.
Michael Wilkinson: With Mon Mothma’s Yavin look, we wanted to strip things way back—remove all the richness and grandeur of Chandrilan politics and reveal the real Mothma underneath it all. She’s a principled, passionate believer in the Rebel cause, and by the end of the season, we wanted her costume to reflect something far more real, grounded, and authentic.
We also intentionally referenced her Rogue One look—specifically that cape with the draped chain. When we first see her at Yavin, that visual cue is there, but as the episode progresses, even that regalia comes off. She’s no longer the senator; she’s just another human among the rebels, sitting down for breakfast with her cousin, sleeves rolled up, ready to lead. I thought that made for a really compelling, visual conclusion to her costume journey.
Spencer Williams: Finally, we get to that moment we’ve all been waiting for—how does Cassian Andor become the Andor we met in Rogue One? Honestly, I didn’t even realize it was happening at first. Then it hit me, this is the guy we’ve been waiting for. You really brought the whole thing full circle. What was that moment like for you—seeing him on the tarmac, in costume, after five years of hard work?
Michael Wilkinson: It was incredibly emotional. The moment everyone realized what was happening—that this was the costume—we all just kind of stopped. There was a hush, and everyone just stared. It was one of those iconic, unforgettable moments.
Of course, it wasn’t as easy as pulling the original costume out of the archive—it doesn’t exist anymore. So we had to create our own interpretation of the Rogue One look. We made a few tweaks to suit our story and our environment, while also working hard to match the important details. It had to feel true. And Diego just looked so incredible in it. Seeing him stride across the tarmac in that costume was a real “take stock” moment for all of us.
Spencer Williams: I can’t even imagine. It just felt like the perfect period at the end of this incredible sentence—to see him there in that full-circle moment.
With that, we’ve officially reached the end of talking about Andor. Michael, this series was extraordinary, and your work—alongside your team—was nothing short of astonishing. Now that both seasons are out in the world, what do you hope audiences take away from this journey?
Michael Wilkinson: That’s a good question. For me, I really hope audiences come away with a sense of just how much intelligent and expansive thinking went into the worldbuilding—especially through costume. Costume design can offer so much to a story. Every day, I was asking myself: How can these costumes move the story forward? How can they reveal new facets of a character? Every single costume was made from scratch. Over 200 cast members, many with multiple looks. Thousands of background performers—all fully designed, cut, sewn, aged, and detailed by our incredible team.
Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll ever work with a team like this again. The combination of fabric makers, tailors, armorers, dyers, accessories teams, the people who dressed and supported the actors on set… it was a once-in-a-career kind of team. It was a massive undertaking. But I hope, in the end, the audience can see the beauty and complexity of humanity reflected in this wide spectrum of characters. And I hope they feel it in a deeply compassionate way.
Spencer Williams: Costume designer Michael Wilkinson, thank you so much for talking with me. We’ve been having these conversations for a couple of years now about Andor, and while I’m sad it’s come to a close, I’m so excited to see what you do next. I hope we get to talk again soon. Thank you again.
Michael Wilkinson: Thank you, Spencer. It’s always a pleasure to talk with you. Thanks so much for your time.
