Michael Bush

For 25 years, Los Angeles based costume designer Michael Bush, together with his partner Dennis Tompkins, who passed away in December 2011, created most of Michael Jackson's personal and concert tour wardrobes -- tens of thousands of original handmade pieces. Their unconventional career provided them with the unique opportunity to work creatively with one of the world's greatest entertainers, and through the medium of clothing help him express the artistic style that made him a cultural icon.

Tompkins began his entertainment career as an ice dancer, and worked in the costume department at ABC on shows such as "General Hospital." Tompkins was working on the 1985 production of "Captain EO," a science fiction short film starring Michael Jackson that was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and produced by George Lucas, when Michael Jackson discovered Tompkins' talent for making pants cut specifically for dancers. Bush joined the "Captain EO" production soon after Tompkins, and after the project wrapped, the pair began making costumes for Michael Jackson to wear in his short films.

Their collaboration with Michael Jackson grew to become their exclusive focus for many years, and together they created many iconic pop music fashions. Their work includes the costumes worn during the international Bad, Dangerous and HIStory tours, the evolution of the "Thriller" jacket over the years, a patented shoe device Tompkins and Bush invented with Michael Jackson that allowed him to recreate his captivating anti-gravity "lean" move live onstage, hand-stitching the trademark rhinestone gloves, dressing Michael Jackson off the stage, and even creating items for Neverland.

For more information, visit http://dressingmichaeljackson.com.