Mr. Pakledinaz fabricated costumes for classics (Hedda Gabler, The Father, Hamlet, Summer and Smoke) and modern plays (Golden Child, Cellini), but was perhaps best known for his vibrant work on musicals like the 1999 Broadway revival of Kiss Me, Kate and Thoroughly Modern Millie, for which he won a Tony Award in 2002.

Martin Pakledinaz was one of seven sons, to James Pakledinaz and Dorothy Pakledinaz. His father worked in the model-making division of General Motors.
He became interested in theatre when a teenager. Initially, he had dreams of becoming an actor, pursuing performing at Wayne State University. A teacher dissuaded him from persisting in that path. He entered the world of New York costume design doing sketches for the noted designer Theoni V. Aldredge. After years of executing Aldredge's ideas, he said it took a couple years to come upon his own style. He cut his teeth as a designer on productions at The York Theatre, New York Shakespeare Festival, McCarter Theatre and Roundabout Theatre Company in the 1980s.

He was a particular favorite of director-choreographer Kathleen Marshall, who called on him to lend the appropriate period fizz on Broadway revivals of Wonderful Town, Grease, The Pajama Game and Anything Goes, as well as the new musical using old Gershwin songs, Nice Work If You Can Get It.

He worked frequently for the Roundabout Theatre Company, where he was championed early on by artistic director Todd Haimes, who, Mr. Pakledinaz once said, "liked my brain."

In addition to his contributions as a designer, Mr. Pakledinaz was a generous contributor to countless charities and funds, including Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Actors Fund. He also taught on the graduate level at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, sharing his knowledge, talent and advice with future generations of designers.

Source: Playbill.com