Marvel's 'Iron Fist' Costume Designer Talks Corporate Suits And Monk Robes

Danny Rand


Costume designer Stephanie Maslansky has worked on every single one of Marvel's television series to date, and has translated several quirky outfits from the pages of seventies comic books into modern-day superhero attire. Stephanie talked me through the design process on Iron Fist, and how Danny Rand's personal journey is depicted through the clothes on his back. 

You’ve worked on every one of Marvel’s television series so far. What was the experience of working on Iron Fist like compared to the other Marvel shows?

Working on each show is different because each show has its own showrunner. The showrunner sets the tone, and kind of has a sense of how the whole thing should look and feel. They’re the one with the overall vision. And for that reason alone, each show is pretty distinct from the others. 

And the neighborhoods have shifted. Like Daredevil and to a great degree in Jessica Jones, they were both defined by Hell’s Kitchen. We moved up to Harlem for Luke Cage, and for Iron Fist it was the wealthier neighborhoods; midtown, upper east side, that sort of thing. So the atmosphere was a little brighter, a little richer, not as dark and dank. We still kept it grounded in an authentic New York. But Danny Rand comes from a wealthier background, so when he lands back home in New York we needed to establish a richer, shinier atmosphere.

Before you started work on Iron Fist, where did you look for inspiration?

I always go back to the original comic illustrations, the origin stories. The original illustrations actually inform a lot of what we do. We look at what was done in the past, and we translate those original images, kind of evolve them into looks that are definitely current and modern, but contain a nod to the original source. A nod to the artists and writers of previous times. We’re always thinking about our fans, we don’t want to disappoint them, and we want them to get a kick out of how we’ve translated these iconic characters to live-action.

We’re bringing these characters in an honest, authentic way from the pages of a comic book into the 21st century, and it’s very important to me that the fans appreciate and approve the work we do. These are characters that are steeped in decades of Marvel history, and we try to bring them to life in a believable way.

The Iron Fist in action


How did you prepare the costumes for the fight scenes?

This is a superhero show with a focus on martial arts; there’s a lot of fighting. As it happens, Danny fights wearing a lot of suits. So we had to make sure he could move as easily in a suit as he can wearing a pair of sweatpants. So there’s a lot of spandex put in those suits, so he can perform kicks and punches. The stretchy fabric has to be the right shade and texture, and it has to be put in the right places. We’ve been pretty successful at hiding it, as far as I know. I don’t think anyone has noticed any material that’s not supposed to be there.

Danny Rand is born into money, but he chooses to travel the world and study martial arts. Does his business background or backpacker lifestyle influence the way he dresses?

His look evolves throughout the series. When we first meet him he’s clearly traveled a long way. I wanted people to look at Danny and not be sure exactly what he was. A backpacker, or a homeless man. His look needed to reflect a variety of cultures, and reflect the fact that he’s traveled a long way to get to New York. He almost seems otherworldly.

He has to prove that he is Danny Rand, billionaire owner of Rand Enterprises. So he has to develop a quick sense of corporate style. He needs to enter this new, shiny, corporate world, but at the same time he has to be comfortable. So we landed on a look that’s been described as “Urban Cali.” It’s a little looser, little more relaxed. But it’s still a suit. His tie is never tied tightly and he always wears sneakers. So the look reflects his personal journey. How he’s evolved as a person and as a member of this corporation.

It also allows him to be distinct from his partner, the son of his father’s partner - Ward Meachum. A far more corporate looking person. I wanted to distinguish between Ward and Danny through their looks. Provide a strong contrast.

In the previews, we saw a glimpse of Madam Gao. Is there a big contrast between the way the heroes and villains dress? A wealth gap? Or an ideological gap?

There’s been a lot of conversations about that. The villains, part of their villainy is that they like money. They steal, they rob. They don’t necessarily want to earn it themselves, but they want to surround themselves with it, with beautiful things. Expensive cars and so forth. That’s part of the villainy of the shows we’re doing anyway. (Laughs).

Madam Gao, who you’ve seen in the previews, is a wonderful character. Actually one of my favorites. And I love the actress who plays her. (Wai Ching Ho). Her particular look is influenced by ancient China. She has that ancient mystique about her, because nobody really knows how old she is. And when I found that out, the Terracotta Army instantly flashed into my brain. I’d visited China, saw the Terracotta Army in person and that influence, especially that silhouette, stuck throughout the design process. She’s been a real fun challenge to design for.

Madam Gao


Danny receives training from monks and martial artists. Were they fun to design?

Oh yeah, that was a lot of fun. I mean it’s always fun to do fantasy costumes. Especially fantasy costumes that look like they might be real. And in a way, they were real. I based the designs of the monk costumes, and Danny’s warrior costumes on real Shaolin warrior monk costumes. I did a lot of research. I took the style from the warrior monks, and some from the regular monks too.

I took that distinctive silhouette from the Shaolin warrior monk clothing, and we combined it with the traditional colors of the Iron Fist, green and gold. So that's one homage to the comics. There are a couple of references to the origin stories. I’m not allowed to give them away but you’ll see them.

There was a bit of controversy over Iron Fist’s casting and the history of the character crossing the line into cultural appropriation. Was there any difficulty with that when you designing his look?

I was very aware of that bit of controversy, I read a lot about it. But I always saw the character of Danny Rand as being very respectful and very engaged in the culture he’s immersed himself in. I wanted his outfit to reflect that aspect of his personal journey, of leaving what he knows and coming back a different person. But you’re always going to have that controversy, people who are critical of that choice.  

What was your research process like?

My research process is all online nowadays. I get lost in the research. But you really have to use discipline when you research, because you can get lost in other worlds, learning things that really, you have no use for. (Laughs). It’s interesting and it can be hard to turn away.

I also had to research the fabrics. We wanted to use fabrics that are very rough, almost like burlap. But that doesn't move comfortably. So I found silks, they’re called raw silks. They’re amazing because the texture is very soft, but the appearance looks incredibly rough. And that worked incredibly well for the monk clothes. And those robes were so loose, they were easy to do fight scenes in.

Training to fight


Iron Fist’s original costume is just as strange as Luke Cage’s. Was it difficult to translate into a modern-day look?

I wouldn’t say difficult, no. Although the most unusual-looking character so far, has been the Iron Fist. But there are different illustrations of the Iron Fist. There are some that look very militaristic, kind of cool and edgy. The earlier illustrations have an incredibly seventies vibe. And there’s a look when he wears cargo pants and a tight shirt, with the emblem emblazoned on the shirt. We did something like that, not with the shirt but with the tattoo on his chest. But I drew my inspiration from the classic look, mostly.

Can you tell us anything about your work on The Defenders?

Not much! It’s been interesting, combining all these different characters and their looks together. We’ve kept them all fairly distinctive throughout each series. They each have their own look and style. They all come together for a common cause, but their worlds are very distinctive from one another. And I’m not allowed to say anything more than that. (Laughs).

Danny Rand


This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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