Amidst all the “Black Panther” fanfare, one name we cannot forget is Ruth Carter, the powerhouse costume designer behind the movie’s looks.
Carter is a Hollywood veteran, having outfitted some of the culture’s most iconic films from “Malcolm X” and “BAPS” to “Five Heartbeats” and “School Daze.” And now the multiple Oscar and Emmy-nominated costume designer is taking on afrofuturism fashions in the film set to debut next February.
She took to Twitter soon after the teaser trailer dropped on Friday to explain some her references in creating the iconic looks. From Kenya’s Maasai tribe to Lesotho’s Basotho people, the motherland is widely represented.
“I love being a costume designer because I love telling the stories of people,” she told ESSENCE. “And that’s what costume designers are; they are storytellers.”
