Costume Designer Ruth E Carter’s latest project – Marvel’s Black Panther – saw her manage a team of over 100 buyers in South Africa, Nigeria and South Korea, plus jewellery makers, mould makers, blacksmiths, fabric painters and tailors on set in Atlanta and in studios in LA, in order to bring the fantasy land of Wakanda to life.
“I selected things from indigenous tribes and implemented them in a futuristic model,” Carter explains of the pioneering costumes that are rooted in African tradition. “Because the culture that [director] Ryan Coogler created is unique, I could combine elements of many African tribes - including the colour red, the triangle shape, neck rings and beadwork - without worrying about cultural appropriation.”
“I don’t like it when I see depictions of indigenous African people that are unrealistic, or speak to the wrong view of what Africa is – a darker, negative view of it,” Carter, who has two Academy Award nominations for her work in Amistad and Malcolm X under her belt.
A member of the Academy for over 25 years, Carter knows that poring over Velcro counts. If industry predictions are correct and she's nominated for an Oscar in 2019, she will be in line to be the first woman to take home the Best Costume accolade for a superhero film. “In the current climate," she muses, "superheroes give people hope." It's worth adding, then, that should Carter win, she will be the first African-American woman to score an Oscar for the first cinematic depiction of a black superhero.
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