Cynthia Erivo is opening up about Elphaba’s viral “sex cardigan.”

At Elphaba’s Wicked Retreat Airbnb Originals Experience in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Dec. 3, theWicked: For Goodstar, 38, reflected on the buzzy clothing item.

The woolly sweater, which her character wears during the film’s sensual “As Long as You’re Mine” sequence alongside Fiyero (played by Jonathan Bailey), has taken the internet by storm and spawned mixed opinions from fans.

At the Airbnb event, Erivo explained that Elphaba’s wardrobe helped reveal a vulnerable side of the character.

“I just wanted to present an opportunity to see this character who everybody at this point has seen as this strong fighting woman, who is the wicked witch, as someone who could actually be on her own,” the star said. “I just wanted something that removed the armor for a second and yes, shows you a sensual, connected side of her.”

She clarified that the intention was “not to turn her into a sexual object.”

“The aim is to make her a soft human be that could be worthy of being loved and having an intimate moment with someone. That’s beautiful.”

Wickedcostume designer Paul Tazewell addressed the costume piece in a recent interview with NPR.

“It came out of very literally an organic decision of what does Elphaba have access to,” Tazewell explained. “And living alone, what choice would she make when she’s looking for a robe, some way to be protective and warm?”

“It’s operating as her robe for that moment,” he continued. “She’s got a loom in her treehouse, where she’s weaving her own clothing. She’s manifesting all these things from the elements that are around her, and the sweater is just in keeping with that.”

The Oscar-winning designer went on to explain that a “black, slinky peignoir” would have been an unrealistic choice for Elphaba’s circumstances, Tazewell said that the cardigan was just another choice that helped define “who a character is and what is important for them, where their priorities are.”

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“I see my work as a costume designer to be one of a storyteller, and I’m telling a silent story,” Tazewell added. “It reveals itself adjacent to the performances of the characters.”

In a November 2024 interview with PEOPLE, Tazewell shared that the costume team created over 1,000 costumes for theWickedfilms — 25 total looks for Glinda and 24 looks for Elphaba — although many had multiples.

For some costumes, including Glinda’s iconic bubble dress, the costume team went as far as dedicating up to 137 pattern pieces and 225 hours into hand-beading a singular bodice.

“When I think of the iconic Glinda, it is Billie Burke as Glinda (inThe Wizard of Oz) in that pink dress and how she arrives in the bubble,” Tazewell explained to PEOPLE. “I was intent on creating a similar quality of silhouette. There’s a fairy princess quality in Ariana as Glinda in that dress. It’s sparkly and it is covered with bubble imagery that swirls around her. It has all of those qualities that are magical and give you that sense of the Good Witch of the North in a very strong way, but it’s re-envisioned.