Screengrab of Racked's video with Ruth Carter, the costume designer for "Black Panther"

Things We Saw Today: The Black Panther Costume Designer Walks Through Her African Inspirations

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Ruth Carter, the costume designer for Marvel’s Black Panther, recently spoke to Racked about the real-life inspirations behind the amazing clothes in the film. As Carter says in the video, “Most people think [Africa]’s just one big thing. If you’re in East Africa, West Africa, South Africa, North Africa, they’re all very different.” Accordingly, she pulled references from all over the continent to create the looks in Black Panther. Some characters, like Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia, were inspired directly by one people’s traditions. Other characters, like the pan-Wakandan Dora Milaje, had costumes which drew elements from a variety of cultures: the Turkana, the Himba, the Maasai, and the Ndebele.

What did you see out there, TMSers?

(Featured image: screengrab)

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