In the shimmering tapestry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, costume designer Daniel Selon found himself embarking on a mystical journey that mirrored the very witches he was tasked with dressing. Returning to the world he helped create in WandaVision, Selon stepped into his power like a master weaver threading magic through fabric, transforming Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness from antagonist to protagonist in the highly anticipated spinoff Agatha All Along. As the series prepares to enchant audiences in 2025, Selon reveals how each costume became a spell woven with intention, history, and cinematic magic.

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The Coven's Creation: Weaving Witchcraft into Wardrobe

Selon describes his experience as "parallel to the journey of the witches" themselves, noting that he "got to step into my power" with the support of his team, which he affectionately calls "a very powerful little coven." The challenge wasn't merely designing costumes but creating visual identities that would tell stories as complex as the spells cast on screen. Each witch's attire became a mystical map of their abilities and origins, with Selon approaching the designs like an alchemist transforming base materials into gold.

The Four Pillars of Magical Design:

  • Power Identification: Determining each witch's unique magical abilities

  • Geographical Roots: Researching cultural and regional influences

  • Historical Context: Blending comic book lore with modern storytelling

  • Character Evolution: Costumes that grow alongside character development

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Rio Vidal: Nature's Witchcraft Embodied

Aubrey Plaza's Rio Vidal presented Selon with both challenge and creative freedom. "It's a challenge, you have to sort of serve all these different masters," Selon explains, noting the balance between comic book accuracy and original storytelling. For Rio's character, Selon drew inspiration from the natural world, creating costumes that felt "like geological formations given human form." The green witch's attire became a living ecosystem, with fabrics and textures mimicking natural systems in a way that made her power feel both ancient and immediate.

Rio's costume journey was particularly transformative, with over 100 iterations before reaching the final design. Selon describes the process as "like watching a crystal form over centuries, each layer building upon the last until perfection emerged." The resulting costume perfectly captures Rio's connection to earth magic while allowing Plaza's performance to shine through.

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Jennifer Kale: Bridging Comics and Reality

For Sasheer Zamata's Jennifer Kale, Selon faced the unique challenge of adapting a classic comic book character for modern audiences. "The comic costume was not something that was going to be necessarily appropriate for the real-world modern-day story we were telling," Selon notes. Instead of direct translation, he extracted the "shape-language" from the comics and transformed it into jewelry and symbolic elements that would feel authentic in contemporary settings.

This approach allowed Jennifer's costume to honor her comic book origins while feeling grounded in reality. Selon's design philosophy here was reminiscent of "a translator preserving the soul of a poem while changing its language" - maintaining essence while adapting form.

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The Mystery of Teen: Crafting Identity Through Clothing

Joe Locke's character, known only as Teen, presented a unique opportunity for Selon to explore themes of identity and self-discovery. "Teen is such an incredible character, and I feel a very parental pride around the creation of him," Selon shares. The costume designer approached Teen's wardrobe as a reflection of the character's journey, with each garment telling a story of self-creation and manipulation.

Selon explains, "Everything he was wearing was something that maybe he created or he manipulated as you do when you're crafty in your bedroom." This approach gave Locke tangible elements to incorporate into his performance, with costumes that felt authentically crafted by a young person discovering their power. The team created backstories for each garment, making Teen's clothing feel like "archaeological artifacts from a life still being lived."

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The Witches' Road: A Costume Designer's Playground

The mystical Witches' Road serves as the central setting for Agatha's journey, and Selon collaborated closely with showrunner Jac Schaeffer to ensure visual cohesion across its various trials. "It was super important to make sure that we were all on the same page about the different iterations," Selon notes, describing how each trial required distinct costume approaches based on genre influences.

The design team treated each section of the Witches' Road like "different chapters in a grimoire," with costumes reflecting specific horror and film references. Selon particularly enjoyed the 1970s-inspired sequences, noting that "the seventies was just so fun to make women look fabulous and feel fabulous." The flowing garments and sparkling fabrics under lights created magical moments that the entire cast and crew anticipated with excitement.

From Mythical Morning to Magical Nights

Selon's diverse background, including work on Good Mythical Morning, provided unexpected preparation for the MCU. While acknowledging the different paces between projects, Selon finds connective tissue in the creative process. "When you play a clown, but you do it from a smart angle, you really get something wonderful," he observes, noting that both environments value intellectual creativity and rapid innovation.

The key difference lies in development time: where mythical morning required quick turnarounds, Agatha All Along allowed Selon to "go so hard on the details" - a luxury he clearly relished. This careful attention to detail is evident in every stitch and symbol throughout the series.

Future Magical Aspirations

Looking ahead, Selon has clear ambitions for future MCU projects. When asked about dream characters to design, he immediately claims dibs on Mephisto, joking "I want to tell Mephisto what he's wearing!" This enthusiasm for future challenges demonstrates Selon's deep engagement with the Marvel universe and his desire to continue pushing costume design boundaries.

As Agatha All Along prepares to cast its spell on audiences, Selon's work stands as a testament to the power of costume design in storytelling. Each garment serves as more than mere clothing - they're magical artifacts that help bring the rich world of Marvel witchcraft to life, proving that sometimes, the real magic is in the details.