Pluribus: The Official Podcast

Episode S1E6: Jennifer Bryan (December 11, 2025)

Host: Chris McCaleb
Guest: Jennifer Bryan (Costume Designer)

Overview

This bonus episode of Pluribus: The Official Podcast features a one-on-one conversation between host Chris McCaleb and acclaimed costume designer Jennifer Bryan. They dive deep into Bryan’s creative process for the Apple Original series Pluribus, exploring how her approach differed from previous projects such as Better Call Saul, the challenges of dressing people in a global, genre-bending sci-fi context, and crafting both grounded and fantastical wardrobes. Insightful anecdotes, behind-the-scenes stories, and a few memorable quotes illuminate the art and impact of costume design on storytelling and character.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Unique Challenges of Pluribus Costume Design

Timestamp: 01:19–03:37

• Unlike Better Call Saul or Breaking Bad, Pluribus required costumes for the “entire world,” erasing cultural, status, and geographic differences in characters’ wardrobes.
• Vince Gilligan’s mandate: “I don’t want it to look like anything else that you’ve seen on TV,” especially within dystopian sci-fi.
• Bryan embraced the challenge: “More was expected of me, which is fine because I always want to give more. I always want to show more.” (Jennifer Bryan, 01:25)

2. Costumes as Storytelling Tools

Timestamp: 03:37–06:19

• Clothing typically signals identity, culture, and social status, but Pluribus asks: what happens when those signals are stripped away?
• Bryan’s approach: elevate the “background” (the Others) into a singular, visual character—distinct from “the none others.”
• Functional design prevailed over ornamentation: “At this point in life, with the joining the Others, clothing basically should just be strictly functional. So there is no ornamentation... they don’t need a watch. They know what time it is.” (Jennifer Bryan, 05:31)
• Subtly mixed elements from various cultures (e.g., “Hawaiian shirt with a Scottish kilt”) to reflect new world dynamics.

3. World-Building Through Wardrobe: The “Others”

Timestamp: 06:23–07:07

• The costumes immediately define who the Others were, not who they are now: “Now they’re all just this one [entity].” (Chris McCaleb, 06:26)

4. The James Bond/Fantasy Sequence in Vegas

Timestamp: 07:07–12:50

• Contrasts between reality and fantasy: an episode set piece features a lavish Las Vegas, Rat Pack-style fantasy with over a hundred extras.
• Preparation time is never enough in TV: “It’s never far in advance enough... you’re constantly on alert because something’s gonna get thrown at you.” (Jennifer Bryan, 07:31)
• The inspiration behind Mr. Diabate’s look: the Congolese “sapeurs”—working class men embracing 21st-century dandyism. “They dress to the ultimate... they’re called sapeurs, the French sapirs. It’s the French slang for, like, clothes. You wear whatever you’re wearing.” (Jennifer Bryan, 08:38)
• Actor Samba Diallo (Mr. Diabate) and Bryan collaborated to bring sapeur style to life: “Our actor Samba has such a beautiful body. He wears a suit very well, and he knew of this genre in the Congo, and we went for it.” (Jennifer Bryan, 09:11)
• Bryan always customizes and manipulates wardrobe, never using off-the-rack pieces as-is: “I always have reason to manipulate it, to change it and to put my spin on it.” (Jennifer Bryan, 11:09)

5. Costuming Carol (Rhea Seehorn) After Better Call Saul

Timestamp: 12:50–16:49

• Bryan and Rhea Seehorn leveraged a long-standing creative shorthand but approached Carol as “a clean slate, completely different character” from Kim Wexler.
• Kim Wexler: “more flawless.” Carol: “full of faults, full of personality faults... and contradictions.” (Jennifer Bryan, 14:07)
• Carol’s wardrobe: begins with a professional, feminine suit (author persona), then shifts to edgier, rugged looks (leather jacket, jeans) as her real situation is revealed.
• The famous yellow leather jacket: “I could not find that leather anywhere in town... My leather maker... found it in France and we got that leather.” (Jennifer Bryan, 15:25)
• The jacket is custom—“My design, you’re not going to find it in the shops.” (Jennifer Bryan, 16:04)

6. The Research Behind Zosia’s Wardrobe

Timestamp: 16:49–19:15

• The show’s shift to global locations (Morocco, etc.) was a surprise—even to Bryan, who anticipated never leaving Albuquerque.
• Deep research into North African, South American, Mongolian, Indian clothing for authenticity—but with cultural signals stripped, to project a global, denatured identity.
• “The jalaba is a very basic North African and Muslim garment. Just like in America we do T shirt and jeans... So I did a lot of research and designed and built that one.” (Jennifer Bryan, 17:04)
• TV production often shoots out of sequence—Bryan had to plan for wardrobe continuity across locations and scenes.

7. Bryan’s On-Screen Cameo

Timestamp: 18:55–20:12

• Bryan appeared on screen, playing a pilot on “shower duty” when Zosia arrives, alongside the actual hair and makeup crew.
• Vince Gilligan’s thoughtfulness: “Who best to be comfortable with but the costume designer, hair and makeup.” (Jennifer Bryan, 19:15)
• Scene details: Zosia sheds her distressed jalaba, Bryan and crew help her transition into the next iconic costume.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Vince Gilligan’s Sci-Fi Mandate:
  “He said to me, I knew it was sci fi, but he said, ‘I don't want it to look costume wise. I don't want it to look like anything else that you've seen on TV.’”
  (Jennifer Bryan, 01:34)
• On Functional Fashion in a (Post-)Apocalyptic World:
  “Clothing basically should just be strictly functional. So there is no ornamentation. For example, you won’t see somebody with a pair of earrings on or a necklace or a watch.”
  (Jennifer Bryan, 05:31)
• On TV Production Realities:
  “It’s never far in advance enough... you’re constantly on alert because something’s gonna get thrown at you.”
  (Jennifer Bryan, 07:31)
• On the Sapeurs & Diabate’s Visual Signature:
  “They dress to the supreme, to the ultimate. They’ll spend all their money on the finest designer things... And they dress like dandies to the nines. And they're called sapeurs.”
  (Jennifer Bryan, 08:39)
• On the Custom Carol Jacket:
  “My leather maker... found it in France and we got that leather... My design, you’re not going to find it in the shops.”
  (Jennifer Bryan, 15:25, 16:04)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intro & Jennifer Bryan’s Approach: 00:53–03:54
• Defining “The Others” & Costuming Philosophy: 03:54–06:23
• Las Vegas Fantasy & Crafting Mr. Diabate: 07:07–12:50
• Carol’s (Rhea Seehorn) New Look: 12:50–16:49
• Researching Zosia’s Global Wardrobe: 16:49–19:15
• Bryan’s On-Screen Cameo: 18:55–20:12

Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is warm, geeky, and full of mutual respect—Bryan’s love of craft and world-building shines through, as does McCaleb’s appreciation for all the little details that make Pluribus unique. If you love behind-the-scenes stories, world-building, or have ever wondered how costume design shapes what you see and feel in a show, this episode delivers both serious insight and playful anecdotes—direct from the creative source.