The Art of Ruth Carter: Costuming Black History and the Afrofuture, from Do the Right Thing to Black Panther

Ruth E. Carter is a living legend of costume design.

For three decades, she has shaped the story of the Black experience on screen—from the eighties streetwear of Do the Right Thing to the royal regalia of Coming 2 America. Her work on Marvel’s Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever not only brought Afrofuturism to the mainstream, but also made her the first Black winner of an Oscar in costume design and the first Black woman to win two Oscars in any category. In 2021, she became the second-ever costume designer to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In this definitive book, Carter shares her origins—recalling a trip to the sporting goods store with Spike Lee to outfit the School Daze cast and a transformative moment stepping inside history on the set of Steven Spielberg’s Amistad. She recounts anecdotes from dressing the greats: Eddie Murphy, Samuel L. Jackson, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Chadwick Boseman, and many more. She describes the passion for history that inspired her period pieces—from Malcolm X to What’s Love Got To Do With It—and her journey into Afrofuturism.

Author(s): Ruth E. Carter

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Hardcover, Chronicle, 2023
152 p, 8 × 11 in.