Avatar: The Way of Water - Recom Costume & Props

From 2016 – 2022 Wētā Workshop collaborated with James Cameron, Jon Landau, and their team on 'Avatar: The Way of Water'.

For the Workshop, this was a welcome return to the world of Pandora, and it was a pleasure to design and manufacture costumes and props for both the Na'vi and human characters.

In working with costume designer Deborah L. Scott, we designed costumes for the RDA’s Recombinant unit.

The 1st Recom Unit is a special forces team of human/Na'vi hybrid soldiers. Their mission is to hunt down and eliminate the leader of the Resistance, Jake Sully. Originally humans and now deceased, they have been brought back to consciousness in avatar bodies with their memories and personalities still intact. We researched real world military units and special forces personnel to inject believability into their designs. Each member plays a specific role and required equipment loadouts and costumes tailored to the individual soldier, right down to their dog tags.

The unit patch incorporates snake and skull motifs, referencing events of the past and Pandora's hostile jungle environment. As seen in 'The Art of Avatar The Way of Water' by Tara Bennett, we also designed dozens of unique tattoos for the Recom members, incorporating elements of their unique individual backstories.

Art Directors: Stephen Crowe & Jeremy Hanna
Production Managers: Yalda Armian & Tasha Guillot
Design Project Coordinators: Elspeth Grant & Milli Griffin