NEW YORK, NY — Martin Izquierdo, the brilliant and beloved costume designer whose visionary work gave wings to some of the most ethereal, dramatic, and unforgettable moments in theater and fashion, died on June 25 at his Manhattan home. He was 83.
The cause was cardiovascular disease, his longtime partner and fellow designer, John Glaser, confirmed.
Best known for crafting the celestial, sweeping wings in *“Angels in America,”* both in its groundbreaking stage productions and in the acclaimed 2003 HBO miniseries directed by Mike Nichols, Izquierdo spent his life at the intersection of fantasy and fabric. His death marks the loss of a singular creative force whose art helped audiences believe in the impossible.
**A Master of Flight and Fantasy**
Izquierdo’s wings — impossibly grand, hauntingly beautiful — weren’t just costume pieces. They were statements, symbols, sacred gestures sewn in silk and feathers. His work on *“Angels in America,”* Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, remains one of the most indelible images in modern American theater: an angel, shattering through the ceiling of a dying man’s apartment, bringing both terror and hope.
> *“The great work begins,”* the angel says. And it was Izquierdo’s work — his design, his vision — that made the moment unforgettable.
But he didn’t stop at the stage. His craftsmanship soared down the glittering runways of Victoria’s Secret, where his wings helped transform models into mythic figures, blending sensuality and spectacle with unmatched artistry. He designed for icons like Heidi Klum, and lent his creative genius to designers such as Marc Jacobs, bringing flair, fantasy, and bold theatricality to the world of high fashion.
**A Life in Design, A Legacy of Wonder**
Born to make magic, Martin Izquierdo had an eye for the surreal and sublime. He was a designer who understood not only how garments should move but how they should make people feel — weightless, powerful, unbound. His workshop was often filled with feathers, wire, gauze, dreams.
To those who knew him, he was a generous spirit, deeply committed to his craft and the people who brought it to life. He mentored young artists, collaborated joyfully, and pursued beauty with relentless passion.
> *“Martin didn’t just make costumes,”* said a close friend in the theater community. *“He gave people wings — literally and emotionally.”*
**Remembering the Man Behind the Magic**
Izquierdo’s passing leaves an immeasurable void in the artistic world. Tributes from actors, models, designers, and directors have poured in, each one recalling his kindness, meticulous work, and boundless imagination.
His partner, John Glaser, described him as *“a dreamer who never stopped believing in beauty, even when the world turned harsh.”*
**Final Curtain, Eternal Flight**
Though Martin Izquierdo has left this world, his creations live on — not just in photographs or archival reels, but in the hearts of those who saw them, wore them, and were transformed by them.
He made us look up. He made us believe. And now, he flies among the angels he so artfully brought to life.
**Rest in peace, Martin. The great work continues — and your wings remain.**
