The Men in Black Costumes Have an Unnoticeable Change In the Upcoming Film

By Esteban Cepero

Even though it may seem like a regular black suit and tie, the new Men in Black costumes from the upcoming film Men in Black: International are getting a change that's almost unnoticeable. It's been just about seven years since the release of the third installment of the Men in Black franchise and twenty-two years since the very first film. Men in Black (MIB) has built one of the most iconic Sci-Fi franchises out there, throwing fans into a world filled with aliens, spaceships, and a secretive organization who are dedicated to protecting innocents from intergalactic threats.

The Men in Black are mostly recognizable by their uniform costumes, being a black suit and black tie. MIB costumes haven't undergone any changes in the trilogy with Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. Though it seems like, from costume designer Penny Rose, we are expected to see a difference in the new film.

Considering the Men in Black costume doesn't follow any intense concepts, some might question how exactly are the Men in Black costumes going to be designed differently on-screen? Well, Penny Rose assures us that “there’s a difference in the cut”. In the new film, featuring Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth, the MIB costumes of the cast are all wearing suits designed by famous British designer Paul Smith. Which signifies that the Men in Black costumes are a lot slimmer and tailored to the person wearing them. Penny Rose states the new Men in Black costumes more fashionable than previous films: “I think you’ll find they are a great deal more stylish than they were originally.”

In Men in Black: International we follow the story of a woman named Molly (Tessa Thompson) who after having an encounter with an alien as a child without her memories wiped from the Men in Black, is determined to find the alien-cops. After discovering the Men in Black headquarters in New York, she works her way up into becoming Agent M and is soon sent to London to become partners with Agent M (Chris Hemsworth). To examine the MIB costumes, we have to look at where the story itself is taking place. For the first time, we see a more in-depth interaction with the Men in Black forces across the world.

Therefore, the costume designer wanted to switch up the scene with the traditional black suits. Looking at the London crew of Men in Black, Penny Rose said that “These agents are more sartorial than the guys in New York,”. There's an obvious difference in the culture for the Men in Black so when picking out how to design the Men in Black costumes, this was Penny Rose's strategy: “I went shopping in America for the New York MIB boys, and I partnered with Paul Smith for the London ones.” This clearly makes sense as it adds to the authenticity of the Men in Black representing the British style of putting away and taking down evil aliens.

The difference in the MIB costumes doesn't just also pertain to the change in the country but also to update the long-used style. “I think when there’s a time gap and then you do it again, you need to freshen the whole thing up,”. This makes perfect sense considering we're so far apart from the previous three films so the editing of the Men in Black costume concept was a long-time coming. Paul Smith for the new MIB costumes uses 'travel cloth' which would allow the suit to be packed into a suitcase and be perfectly wearable right after. Penny Rose pointed out that this new costume design is ideal for all the stunts performed in the film.

There's a lot in store for us with the release of Men in Black: International as fans have been anticipating the return of the hilarious action-packed franchise. With a seven-year-long wait time, we could be seeing a lot more out of the universe of the Men in Black with new costumes, new characters, new weapons, and definitely some new aliens! Be sure to check out Men in Black: International when it's released to theaters on June 14, 2019 and visit WonderCostumes.com for costumes and accessories for your Men in Black costume!