Costume Designer, Ruth E. Carter, on Building Worlds & Self-Nurturing

This episode is sponsored by smartwater®

Ruth E. Carter is a trailblazing costume designer known for her work on Malcolm X, the Black Panther films, Sinners, and so many more iconic works. She has been awarded Academy Awards, a BAFTA, a Critics Choice Award, the Costume Designers Guild Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But before that, she was exploring Black literature and history in Black Studies-focused enrichment programs in her home state of Massachusetts. When she was a young adult, she was deconstructing clothing and taking notes from grunge scenes, citing Lisa Bonet and Madonna as early beauty and style inspiration. In our conversation, Ruth walks us through her life and career, explaining how the girl who dressed like a grunge artist would introduce Afrofuturism to the world. 

During our chat, Ruth tells us about how she has always drawn on her interest in literary, dramatic, and visual arts to design on film sets. She shared the initial culture shock she experienced at her HBCU, Hampton, and how the theater department helped her blend her artistic sensibilities with the coiffed presentation of her classmates. Ruth detailed how she drew on these experiences in her first position in School Daze, and how her dedication led to the first of many creative collaborations with directors like Spike Lee, which would shape her career. Our conversation ranges from the specific way she employs the lessons her psychologist mother taught her, like gaining and keeping people’s trust, to spending time with Tina Turner. We discussed so much of her portfolio, and what compelled her to begin archiving her designs, which now make up the traveling exhibition “Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design.” Ruth is open about her painstakingly detailed commitment to historical accuracy and how her early exposure to ideas about the future being a site of freedom and exploration shaped the visual identity for Black Panther. 

Tune in as we discuss:

(03:35) The Sinners Award Season

(08:56) Exploring Malcolm X’s Time in a Massachusetts Correctional Facility

(12:50) The Loss of Personal Celebrity Style

(13:35) How The HBCU Experience Blew Her Mind

(15:15) Her Experience On School Daze And Working With Spike Lee

(23:55) Her Love Of Thrifting

(31:08) Deep Dive Into Her Experience On Sinners Set

(37:20) Deep Dive Into Her Experience On What’s Love Got To Do With It Set

(40:20) Met Gala Experiences And Thoughts

(43:50) Deep Dive Into Her Experience On B.A.P.S Set

(47:44) Early Introduction To Afrofuturism

(52:02) Her Favorite African Designers

(52:50) Ruth’s Personal Style

(54:30) The Power of Tailoring

(1:01:01) Maintaining a Calm Demeanor

(1:05:08) When Ruth Feels The Most Beautiful

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