Donna Berwick, Da 5 Bloods Costume Designer, Dies at 66

September 2024 · 4 minute read

Donna Berwick, a costume designer who worked on films including Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods,” “Donnie Darko” and more died, July 14 of breast cancer. She was 66.

Berwick was nominated for best contemporary film by the Costume Designers Guild for her work on “Da 5 Bloods,” a Vietnam War veterans drama starring Delroy Lindo, Chadwick Boseman, Jonathan Majors and Clarke Peters. The 2020 Netflix original film follows four veterans that return to Vietnam searching for the remains of their squad leader and the fortune he helped them hide.

She also designed the costumes for Lee’s “Inside Man,” starring Denzel Washington and Clive Owens as well as Ernest Dickerson’s “Juice,” starring Tupac Shakur.

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The late costume designer April Ferry and Berwick worked together on costuming films and TV shows including “Donnie Darko,” “U571” and “Game of Thrones.”

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Born in Queens, New York, Berwick earned a BFA from the School of Visual Arts and an associates degree in fashion design from the Fashion Institute of Technology before starting her career in costuming. She worked in New York City’s garment district for over a decade, where she designed clothing for singer and musician Grace Jones.

Berwick was also a member of the modern art scene, and was a part of the Rodeo Caldonia artistic collective of female creatives that produced art across different media. After working with the collective, she partnered with Lee on several of his early films, including “Malcolm X” and “Mo Better Blues” alongside designer Ruth Carter.

Berwick designed the costumes for Nelson George’s ‘Life Support’ on HBO. She also worked with Caroline Eselin on the period costumes for Barry Jenkin’s “If Beale Street Could Talk.” The last film she worked on was Tony Goldwyn’s “Ezra,” starring Bobby Cannavale and Robert De Niro.

Berwick is survived by her siblings Jeffrey, Stephan, Jimmy and Beverly Simmons.

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