1 00:00:13,054 --> 00:00:17,475 [Ruth] People assume that I became a costume designer because I love fashion. 2 00:00:20,562 --> 00:00:22,230 But that wasn't it at all. 3 00:00:23,148 --> 00:00:25,942 My heroes were Langston Hughes, 4 00:00:26,026 --> 00:00:30,280 James Baldwin, Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez. 5 00:00:30,989 --> 00:00:33,074 Playwrights, poets. 6 00:00:33,491 --> 00:00:36,202 Those were the designers that inspired me. 7 00:00:37,245 --> 00:00:40,832 People think I sew, but that's not really what I do. 8 00:00:41,666 --> 00:00:44,669 What I do is I tell stories. 9 00:01:37,722 --> 00:01:41,142 [Ruth] When I was first starting out doing costume design for theater, 10 00:01:41,226 --> 00:01:45,063 my mom came to see a play I was doing and she came backstage afterwards. 11 00:01:46,439 --> 00:01:48,274 She sat in the costume shop 12 00:01:48,358 --> 00:01:51,569 while I gathered the laundry from the play, 13 00:01:51,653 --> 00:01:53,988 brought it up to the costume shop. 14 00:01:54,364 --> 00:01:56,199 She said, "You mean to tell me 15 00:01:56,366 --> 00:01:59,661 that you graduated with a four-year degree 16 00:01:59,744 --> 00:02:02,413 to come out and do somebody's laundry?" 17 00:02:03,164 --> 00:02:04,958 -[laughs] -[female interviewer laughs] 18 00:02:07,418 --> 00:02:09,712 What is costume design? 19 00:02:11,089 --> 00:02:13,424 Nobody really knows what it is that we do. 20 00:02:13,758 --> 00:02:16,052 Is it fashion? Do you sew? 21 00:02:17,303 --> 00:02:21,683 I mean, they know what lighting design is, they know what directing is. 22 00:02:22,183 --> 00:02:25,395 I think as we evolved as a filmmaking body, 23 00:02:25,478 --> 00:02:28,398 there's more focus on it as an art form. 24 00:02:31,317 --> 00:02:36,531 For me, costume design is the process of taking an idea 25 00:02:36,614 --> 00:02:39,284 and making it come to life. 26 00:02:39,617 --> 00:02:41,911 It starts, you know, in here first 27 00:02:42,245 --> 00:02:45,081 and it, uh, is developed. 28 00:02:46,958 --> 00:02:50,003 You have to understand a little bit about people, 29 00:02:51,921 --> 00:02:55,133 what makes a person who they are, 30 00:02:56,217 --> 00:02:58,678 where they live, what they believe in. 31 00:03:01,723 --> 00:03:04,684 Sometimes that's really reflective on the outside. 32 00:03:05,685 --> 00:03:07,020 It's storytelling. 33 00:03:13,359 --> 00:03:16,738 [woman] The best costume design does this quiet work 34 00:03:16,821 --> 00:03:19,407 of setting the stage for the viewer. 35 00:03:20,116 --> 00:03:22,660 When it's in the hands of someone like Ruth Carter, 36 00:03:22,744 --> 00:03:26,664 you can't even tell that she's designing to tell a story. 37 00:03:27,874 --> 00:03:30,084 [man] There's a certain way that Ruth 38 00:03:30,168 --> 00:03:31,794 assembles her costumes 39 00:03:31,878 --> 00:03:34,672 that makes you feel like, whoever this person is, 40 00:03:34,756 --> 00:03:36,883 that they are indeed the... 41 00:03:36,966 --> 00:03:39,677 the owners of this... you know, I don't want to say costume, 42 00:03:39,761 --> 00:03:43,264 because I think that the power is that you don't think of it as "costume." 43 00:03:43,348 --> 00:03:45,642 You think of it as, like, "This is... this is who they are." 44 00:03:48,561 --> 00:03:51,648 [Spike Lee] As a director, you wanna surround yourself with the best people. 45 00:03:51,731 --> 00:03:53,691 The films I've done with Ruth, it's not like... 46 00:03:54,192 --> 00:03:55,652 you gotta talk all the time. 47 00:03:57,028 --> 00:03:58,279 Nah. We know what we're doing. 48 00:03:58,738 --> 00:04:01,741 And I trust her, knowing that she's gonna come back 49 00:04:01,824 --> 00:04:04,118 to show me stuff that's gonna be right on the money. 50 00:04:06,537 --> 00:04:09,499 [Samuel L Jackson] She makes you feel good about yourself in those clothes. 51 00:04:09,582 --> 00:04:11,542 You can tell when, uh, 52 00:04:11,626 --> 00:04:15,546 she's gotten it right or she feels like she has it right because she lights up. 53 00:04:17,882 --> 00:04:20,885 [Ryan Coogler] What makes Ruth's work so beautiful is the humanity. 54 00:04:20,969 --> 00:04:23,805 It never feels like costumes, you know. It just feel like clothes. 55 00:04:23,888 --> 00:04:25,765 Even when it's at its most extravagant, 56 00:04:25,848 --> 00:04:29,936 people are jumping out of airplanes and fighting big Afrofuturistic battles. 57 00:04:30,436 --> 00:04:31,354 [grunting] 58 00:04:31,437 --> 00:04:34,148 It still feels like something that these characters put on 59 00:04:34,607 --> 00:04:35,692 and that they wear. 60 00:04:36,192 --> 00:04:37,652 They still felt like people. 61 00:04:38,069 --> 00:04:41,447 That's one of those things when it's like, "Man, how she do that?" You know? [laughs] 62 00:04:41,531 --> 00:04:42,824 [birdsong] 63 00:04:45,576 --> 00:04:48,955 [Ruth] The very first thing I do is break down the script. 64 00:04:51,541 --> 00:04:56,504 There is a lot of wonderment in the first reading of the script. 65 00:04:57,255 --> 00:05:00,049 "How are we going to attack this? 66 00:05:00,133 --> 00:05:04,929 What is the DP going to want as far as a color palette? 67 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:09,475 What's the director thinking of in terms of these characters, 68 00:05:09,559 --> 00:05:11,311 and what does everybody see?" 69 00:05:12,228 --> 00:05:15,356 One of my favorite projects was Roots. 70 00:05:17,692 --> 00:05:19,736 "We start to hear the pounding of drums. 71 00:05:20,403 --> 00:05:24,115 This then becomes the screams of Africans being taken into slavery. 72 00:05:24,532 --> 00:05:26,993 The waves of the ocean sea join this mix. 73 00:05:27,327 --> 00:05:29,954 Kizzy sees a figure coming towards her for a moment. 74 00:05:30,038 --> 00:05:33,291 It's clear as day that it's young Kunta Kinte." 75 00:05:34,459 --> 00:05:36,753 It's just beautifully written. 76 00:05:37,795 --> 00:05:41,049 My job is the... the visual, uh, story. 77 00:05:41,299 --> 00:05:44,344 You know, to bring those textures and those colors that, 78 00:05:44,427 --> 00:05:47,764 you know, how beautifully this reads into the story. 79 00:05:51,642 --> 00:05:55,271 I think the first initial idea is very broad. 80 00:05:57,774 --> 00:06:00,068 You want the colors of the scene 81 00:06:00,151 --> 00:06:03,863 to support the words that are in the script. 82 00:06:05,782 --> 00:06:09,202 The dirt, the drums, and the sea. 83 00:06:09,285 --> 00:06:10,411 [seabirds calling] 84 00:06:10,495 --> 00:06:12,955 The blue indigo of Africa 85 00:06:13,039 --> 00:06:17,335 and Kizzy's hair wrapped in this natural homespun cloth. 86 00:06:17,668 --> 00:06:20,129 You can feel the color of the earth, 87 00:06:20,213 --> 00:06:23,091 whether it's red clay or brown. 88 00:06:23,174 --> 00:06:26,719 You can kind of really feel the richness of the scene. 89 00:06:27,762 --> 00:06:30,848 This is like the imagination part of the process. 90 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:44,529 The script is just the beginning. 91 00:06:45,571 --> 00:06:47,782 I take that and I expound upon it. 92 00:06:51,369 --> 00:06:55,623 Right now, we're in the costume shop of our film Dolemite Is My Name, 93 00:06:55,706 --> 00:06:57,208 starring Eddie Murphy. 94 00:06:58,334 --> 00:07:00,878 Dolemite is the story of Rudy Ray Moore. 95 00:07:01,087 --> 00:07:03,589 He was a comedian, 96 00:07:03,673 --> 00:07:07,343 and he created his own pimp character called Dolemite. 97 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:09,637 Dolemite is my name, 98 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:12,390 and fuckin' up motherfuckers is my game! 99 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:13,474 Ooh! 100 00:07:14,517 --> 00:07:17,520 [Ruth] The '70s is such a personal time for me. 101 00:07:17,603 --> 00:07:19,439 It was when I was a teenager, 102 00:07:19,522 --> 00:07:22,275 and I remember a lot of things about it. 103 00:07:22,358 --> 00:07:26,821 So, I'm bringing all of that to the costumes of the movie. 104 00:07:27,989 --> 00:07:31,117 We knew that we were going to go really bold. 105 00:07:31,534 --> 00:07:36,497 All of our fabrics, and our linings, and our buttons, and our trims. 106 00:07:36,914 --> 00:07:39,292 And combine them in such a way 107 00:07:39,375 --> 00:07:41,752 where it would really tell this story 108 00:07:41,836 --> 00:07:44,255 of this larger-than-life character. 109 00:07:47,341 --> 00:07:50,052 Then comes the nuts and bolts of, 110 00:07:50,136 --> 00:07:52,221 "What do these ideas really look like?" 111 00:07:52,305 --> 00:07:56,434 and "How do I place them in front of me so that I can realize them?" 112 00:07:57,310 --> 00:07:59,854 There's lots of people that need to know what your vision is. 113 00:07:59,937 --> 00:08:02,815 And so, the mood boards help explain all of that. 114 00:08:03,816 --> 00:08:07,153 It's a hodgepodge of fabric swatches, 115 00:08:07,236 --> 00:08:09,322 magazine tear sheets, 116 00:08:09,405 --> 00:08:11,449 illustrations and sketches, 117 00:08:11,532 --> 00:08:13,701 photos from the original movie. 118 00:08:14,118 --> 00:08:16,078 Anything that gives us inspiration. 119 00:08:17,205 --> 00:08:19,499 Everything that Dolemite wore was custom. 120 00:08:20,082 --> 00:08:22,251 I don't wanna get in my car with this shit on. 121 00:08:22,335 --> 00:08:24,337 I'm glad y'all brought my clothes to me. 122 00:08:24,754 --> 00:08:30,051 [Ruth] This happened to be something close to what Dolomite actually wore. 123 00:08:30,510 --> 00:08:33,638 We'll never really know for sure what that mesh was. 124 00:08:33,721 --> 00:08:37,183 I'm thinking if Dolemite were to walk in here in that suit, 125 00:08:37,475 --> 00:08:40,102 he'd say, "Man, this is made out of chain mail." 126 00:08:40,353 --> 00:08:41,771 And I'd go, "What?" 127 00:08:42,230 --> 00:08:44,190 But this is kind of what we used. 128 00:08:44,273 --> 00:08:46,943 It's quieter than chain mail would have been. 129 00:08:47,443 --> 00:08:50,947 You know, once it's done, it becomes a wearable garment. 130 00:08:51,030 --> 00:08:52,865 And then, you get the actor in it, 131 00:08:52,949 --> 00:08:54,742 it's very rewarding. 132 00:08:59,121 --> 00:09:02,333 The fitting room is a transformation room. 133 00:09:03,334 --> 00:09:07,129 So you're gonna be in the pimp scene, so we've gotta get you right. 134 00:09:07,755 --> 00:09:10,967 Let's see you try on this shirt right here. This green one. 135 00:09:11,717 --> 00:09:15,763 She wants you to be comfortable in what you're wearing 136 00:09:15,846 --> 00:09:18,891 while you're doing your work, so that you can do your best work. 137 00:09:19,642 --> 00:09:21,561 [whispers] He's putting on his pants. 138 00:09:22,562 --> 00:09:24,564 There are times I want to disappear, 139 00:09:24,647 --> 00:09:28,734 and there are times I wanna be the thing that you can't take your eyes off of. 140 00:09:28,818 --> 00:09:30,027 And she gets that. 141 00:09:30,319 --> 00:09:31,821 Turn around, let's see. 142 00:09:32,029 --> 00:09:32,905 Ooh. 143 00:09:32,989 --> 00:09:35,074 Transporting into the '70s. 144 00:09:35,866 --> 00:09:38,953 When I put my costume on and I look at myself, 145 00:09:39,036 --> 00:09:40,580 then I've come to completion. 146 00:09:41,372 --> 00:09:43,749 Yes! There it is. 147 00:09:43,833 --> 00:09:44,875 [laughs] 148 00:09:45,209 --> 00:09:47,169 [Ruth] I think that it's fascinating 149 00:09:47,253 --> 00:09:51,007 how the actor and the character kind of meld. 150 00:09:51,382 --> 00:09:54,385 Yes, so now you got to stand with some attitude. 151 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:55,720 There we go. 152 00:09:55,970 --> 00:09:58,848 And that's really your job, and that's what they want you to do. 153 00:09:58,931 --> 00:10:00,016 Collar out. 154 00:10:01,225 --> 00:10:02,059 Done! 155 00:10:02,977 --> 00:10:05,521 [cheering] 156 00:10:05,605 --> 00:10:07,982 [Ruth] I'm looking at things and how they can be better 157 00:10:08,065 --> 00:10:09,525 and how they can change. 158 00:10:09,609 --> 00:10:13,029 It's like an artist on a painting. It's never finished. 159 00:10:13,362 --> 00:10:15,281 That's how I feel about all of my costumes. 160 00:10:16,449 --> 00:10:19,493 You have to see what you don't want sometimes to know what you want. 161 00:10:19,577 --> 00:10:22,622 And sometimes it's like, "Oh, my God! Wait a minute. 162 00:10:22,913 --> 00:10:26,167 Close your coat. Take your shirt out. Take it out. Hurry up, hurry up. 163 00:10:26,250 --> 00:10:27,710 How much time do I have?" 164 00:10:27,793 --> 00:10:29,712 [laughs] 165 00:10:29,795 --> 00:10:31,964 -Marker! -Start blocking for rehearsal, guys. 166 00:10:32,048 --> 00:10:35,509 It's never done. Someone has to just, like, drag me away, 167 00:10:35,593 --> 00:10:38,638 kicking and screaming, and then they can roll the camera. 168 00:10:38,721 --> 00:10:40,848 -Go ahead. Mark rolling. -Rolling, rolling. 169 00:10:44,268 --> 00:10:46,604 [Ruth] I really enjoy recreating the '70s. 170 00:10:47,063 --> 00:10:48,731 The '70s was my era. 171 00:10:50,608 --> 00:10:54,570 Those years of high school, I was into drama. 172 00:10:54,654 --> 00:10:57,657 I just liked the performing arts a lot. 173 00:10:58,157 --> 00:11:02,620 By the time I went to college, I hung out in the theater department, 174 00:11:02,995 --> 00:11:04,747 and I was acting. 175 00:11:04,830 --> 00:11:08,167 I remember auditioning for Molière, The Would-Be Gentleman, 176 00:11:08,250 --> 00:11:10,711 and not making the audition. 177 00:11:11,045 --> 00:11:14,006 And the instructor saying, "Do you want to try doing the costumes?" 178 00:11:14,090 --> 00:11:15,174 So I said, "Okay." 179 00:11:16,217 --> 00:11:19,887 There was no specific study in costume design, 180 00:11:19,970 --> 00:11:22,682 but I knew how to navigate around the scripts. 181 00:11:22,932 --> 00:11:25,810 I went to the local fabric store, 182 00:11:25,893 --> 00:11:28,562 bought a bunch of fabric, got some patterns. 183 00:11:32,233 --> 00:11:36,112 That just snowballed into the next production after the next production. 184 00:11:36,195 --> 00:11:39,782 Before long, I was the costume designer on campus. 185 00:11:44,078 --> 00:11:46,497 Theater was my first love. 186 00:11:47,164 --> 00:11:50,042 Designing for theater is very different 187 00:11:50,584 --> 00:11:52,628 from designing for film. 188 00:11:54,964 --> 00:11:58,175 With theater, you view things from the audience 189 00:11:58,259 --> 00:11:59,593 when you're designing it. 190 00:12:03,055 --> 00:12:07,309 There is a certain amount of texture and color 191 00:12:07,393 --> 00:12:10,938 and things that you don't see the further away you get from it. 192 00:12:11,897 --> 00:12:16,235 So, we make things larger than life, patterns are sometimes bigger, 193 00:12:16,318 --> 00:12:20,614 so that things that you've done read from the audience. 194 00:12:21,866 --> 00:12:25,911 But in film, because everything is blown up so large, 195 00:12:25,995 --> 00:12:30,416 things that make an impression are sometimes extreme details. 196 00:12:31,417 --> 00:12:34,378 But film was the last thing I was really thinking about, you know. 197 00:12:34,462 --> 00:12:36,380 I was really trying to get a theater project. 198 00:12:38,382 --> 00:12:40,092 In this very theater, 199 00:12:40,176 --> 00:12:43,721 I was, uh, designing the costumes for this dance company, 200 00:12:44,096 --> 00:12:48,726 and it was that show that introduced Spike to me. 201 00:12:50,394 --> 00:12:52,772 [Spike] As a director, you have to be a talent scout. 202 00:12:52,855 --> 00:12:55,316 I was forming a team. Like, I was general manager. 203 00:12:56,108 --> 00:12:58,319 In sports, you know, puttin' my team together. 204 00:12:59,111 --> 00:13:00,529 So I needed a costume designer. 205 00:13:01,864 --> 00:13:04,033 [Ruth] He sent me postcards, 206 00:13:04,116 --> 00:13:07,369 inviting me to screenings to see She's Gotta Have It. 207 00:13:08,078 --> 00:13:09,997 And I was like, "Nah, put it in the drawer. 208 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:12,416 Another one from Spike, put it in the drawer." 209 00:13:12,500 --> 00:13:16,504 Then my friend, who introduced me to him, called me and said... 210 00:13:16,587 --> 00:13:18,589 [woman] "Spike brought his film She's Gotta Have It 211 00:13:18,672 --> 00:13:20,257 to the Cannes Film Festival." 212 00:13:20,341 --> 00:13:21,801 [Ruth] And I was like, "What? 213 00:13:22,092 --> 00:13:24,678 Why didn't I answer one of those postcards?" 214 00:13:25,137 --> 00:13:25,971 [ringing tone] 215 00:13:26,055 --> 00:13:29,975 Someone called me one morning at, like, five in the morning. 216 00:13:30,226 --> 00:13:32,269 He said, "Ruth." It's like, "Yeah?" 217 00:13:32,394 --> 00:13:33,854 "Ruth?" "Yeah?" 218 00:13:33,938 --> 00:13:35,773 -"Ruth" -"Yeah?" 219 00:13:36,315 --> 00:13:38,067 "It's the man of your dreams." 220 00:13:39,026 --> 00:13:41,070 I said, "Denzel?" 221 00:13:41,946 --> 00:13:43,531 "No! This is Spike." 222 00:13:43,989 --> 00:13:45,699 [laughs] 223 00:13:50,621 --> 00:13:53,207 [Spike] Do The Right Thing directive was 224 00:13:53,707 --> 00:13:58,712 this film takes place on the hottest day of the summer. 225 00:13:59,380 --> 00:14:02,007 Shorts, tank tops, 226 00:14:02,466 --> 00:14:03,843 cut-off jeans. 227 00:14:04,343 --> 00:14:07,263 I mean, even look at what Ruth had Rosie Perez wearing 228 00:14:07,346 --> 00:14:09,056 in the opening credits sequence. 229 00:14:09,181 --> 00:14:11,559 All that stuff that Rosie's wearing while she's dancing, 230 00:14:11,642 --> 00:14:13,102 that's... that's Ruth Carter. 231 00:14:13,811 --> 00:14:15,062 Do The Right Thing is the film 232 00:14:15,145 --> 00:14:18,732 that single-handedly made hip-hop fashion a thing. 233 00:14:19,066 --> 00:14:22,027 The reds, the blacks, the greens, the yellows, 234 00:14:22,111 --> 00:14:25,948 that are really mimicking various West African flags. 235 00:14:26,448 --> 00:14:29,118 [Ruth] It was very prevalent in Brooklyn 236 00:14:29,201 --> 00:14:33,372 to have a connection to your culture, and to Africa, 237 00:14:33,455 --> 00:14:35,416 and to wear kente shorts, 238 00:14:35,499 --> 00:14:39,920 and to have necklaces with the continent of Africa. 239 00:14:40,004 --> 00:14:43,757 And we wanted to make these African crop tops 240 00:14:43,841 --> 00:14:45,759 and African shorts. 241 00:14:46,218 --> 00:14:52,308 We wanted to sort of show how pop culture responds to the inner city. 242 00:14:52,808 --> 00:14:55,269 [Tanisha] She's using this vibrant color palette 243 00:14:55,352 --> 00:14:57,688 as a color palette of protest. 244 00:14:58,022 --> 00:15:01,650 That's why the costumes in Do The Right Thing are so important, 245 00:15:01,734 --> 00:15:03,652 because they help us understand 246 00:15:03,736 --> 00:15:05,487 the politics of the space 247 00:15:05,571 --> 00:15:09,325 that most viewers in middle America had never really experienced. 248 00:15:10,242 --> 00:15:12,328 The moment when John Savage, 249 00:15:12,411 --> 00:15:15,664 wearing a Larry Bird Boston Celtics T-shirt, 250 00:15:15,956 --> 00:15:20,336 accidentally steps on Buggin' Out's new pristine Jordans? 251 00:15:20,544 --> 00:15:21,378 Yo! 252 00:15:22,588 --> 00:15:24,590 That's part of the culture. I mean, like... 253 00:15:24,673 --> 00:15:25,674 Yo! 254 00:15:26,133 --> 00:15:28,093 [Tanisha] It's why that movie still persists 255 00:15:28,177 --> 00:15:30,095 as one of the most influential 256 00:15:30,179 --> 00:15:33,307 films on race relations in 20th-century America. 257 00:15:34,642 --> 00:15:38,479 [Ruth] Hollywood wasn't used to the Spike Lees of the world. 258 00:15:38,562 --> 00:15:41,982 He wanted to show black people on camera, in cinema, 259 00:15:42,066 --> 00:15:45,110 in more of a realistic manner. 260 00:15:45,986 --> 00:15:48,447 We didn't have images of ourselves 261 00:15:48,739 --> 00:15:50,199 that were positive. 262 00:15:50,449 --> 00:15:52,618 I grew up looking at, um, 263 00:15:52,868 --> 00:15:55,079 all of those old black-and-white films. 264 00:15:59,041 --> 00:16:01,460 Birth of a Nation was one of the first films. 265 00:16:01,585 --> 00:16:06,715 And it was so derogatory towards African-Americans. 266 00:16:06,799 --> 00:16:09,843 There's this white man running around in blackface, 267 00:16:09,927 --> 00:16:14,807 and this woman screaming and running from him, like he's a beast. 268 00:16:15,975 --> 00:16:21,188 And, um, you know, other movies we were either tap dancing or serving someone. 269 00:16:21,772 --> 00:16:23,816 I think the '60s started to change that, 270 00:16:23,899 --> 00:16:25,609 but it was very slow. 271 00:16:25,943 --> 00:16:28,654 And we went through blaxploitation, 272 00:16:28,737 --> 00:16:31,907 where we were pimps, and drug dealers, and prostitutes. 273 00:16:32,408 --> 00:16:34,702 I've got ten of the finest hoes in the world working for me. 274 00:16:34,785 --> 00:16:37,579 I'm gettin' a hundred dollars a day from each one. Okay? 275 00:16:39,665 --> 00:16:43,919 [Ruth] We are tasked with the responsibility to rewrite that. 276 00:16:48,215 --> 00:16:50,968 I was raised in a small town, Springfield, Mass. 277 00:16:52,428 --> 00:16:55,681 When I look around my old childhood library, 278 00:16:55,973 --> 00:16:59,768 it still feels like this place where I can come 279 00:17:00,019 --> 00:17:04,898 and just lose myself in history, and poetry, 280 00:17:04,982 --> 00:17:09,486 and just whatever it is that I'm trying to learn about. 281 00:17:09,570 --> 00:17:12,322 And the possibilities are just endless. 282 00:17:14,074 --> 00:17:17,494 This library happened to be across the street from my high school. 283 00:17:18,912 --> 00:17:20,164 This was the hooky spot. 284 00:17:21,915 --> 00:17:25,878 Nobody ever really questioned me for being in here. 285 00:17:27,129 --> 00:17:29,923 Even if it was two in the afternoon, I could be in the library. 286 00:17:31,091 --> 00:17:33,135 Just escaping. 287 00:17:34,178 --> 00:17:36,388 We always wanted to be conscious. 288 00:17:36,472 --> 00:17:40,809 So, reading about slavery or knowing about civil rights 289 00:17:40,893 --> 00:17:45,439 was an easy entry point for me as a young person. 290 00:17:47,733 --> 00:17:51,153 I like to feel like my costumes 291 00:17:51,236 --> 00:17:54,490 are supporting a greater story. 292 00:17:54,907 --> 00:17:58,660 The story of the times and the story of the person. 293 00:17:58,869 --> 00:18:03,916 And I like to feel that they have a breath to them. 294 00:18:07,586 --> 00:18:10,297 It was a natural progression for me 295 00:18:10,380 --> 00:18:13,717 to be on films that had me research. 296 00:18:15,177 --> 00:18:17,554 What were the colors of the time? 297 00:18:17,638 --> 00:18:20,349 What were the economics of the time? 298 00:18:21,058 --> 00:18:24,978 Once you understand the world that a character lives in, 299 00:18:25,062 --> 00:18:29,191 you can support that part of the story with your design. 300 00:18:32,486 --> 00:18:35,739 Malcolm X was the first film that I'd done that, um, 301 00:18:35,823 --> 00:18:37,157 went through so many eras. 302 00:18:37,658 --> 00:18:39,326 He was so multi-faceted 303 00:18:39,409 --> 00:18:41,578 with all the things that he did in his life. 304 00:18:43,247 --> 00:18:46,458 Researching New York in the '40s was wonderful. 305 00:18:46,542 --> 00:18:49,002 Harlem was alive, it was buzzing. 306 00:18:49,336 --> 00:18:53,924 And so you really wanted to bring in that sense of the heartbeat of Harlem. 307 00:18:55,134 --> 00:18:58,303 There were certain areas that were really broad. 308 00:18:58,554 --> 00:19:00,180 Those were the zoot suits. 309 00:19:00,264 --> 00:19:03,016 Zoot suits were considered a hoodlum fashion. 310 00:19:03,100 --> 00:19:04,101 [both] Roseland! 311 00:19:04,893 --> 00:19:06,645 [Spike] The dance sequence in the film. 312 00:19:06,728 --> 00:19:08,105 Those zoot suits. 313 00:19:08,188 --> 00:19:09,898 That was... That was amazing. 314 00:19:10,732 --> 00:19:14,069 [Ruth] I researched exactly what the length of the coat was, 315 00:19:14,153 --> 00:19:16,363 how narrow the pant was, 316 00:19:16,655 --> 00:19:20,075 what kind of chains went around, what kind of pocket watch, 317 00:19:20,367 --> 00:19:22,119 how long the feather would be, 318 00:19:22,536 --> 00:19:24,955 so that we could really get a true sense 319 00:19:25,038 --> 00:19:27,958 of what a zoot suit looked and felt like to wear. 320 00:19:29,418 --> 00:19:32,337 From there, we took the journey 321 00:19:32,421 --> 00:19:35,924 to his gangster days in the '40s and the '50s. 322 00:19:36,341 --> 00:19:39,428 And then we go from there to incarceration. 323 00:19:41,597 --> 00:19:43,640 I went to the Department of Correction 324 00:19:43,724 --> 00:19:47,436 and I asked them if I could see Malcolm X's files. 325 00:19:48,812 --> 00:19:51,023 I had medical records, 326 00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:53,192 his booking photo, 327 00:19:54,067 --> 00:19:56,570 and I had quite a few letters that he had written. 328 00:19:58,071 --> 00:20:01,241 And I noticed how his penmanship changed 329 00:20:01,325 --> 00:20:04,995 and his grammar increased as he educated himself. 330 00:20:08,457 --> 00:20:11,543 When he came out of prison, he was humble. 331 00:20:12,377 --> 00:20:16,089 I connected to that moment with his costume. 332 00:20:17,424 --> 00:20:22,971 He was bent over in this rumpled, oversized suit. 333 00:20:23,388 --> 00:20:27,100 He was not that cocky gangster anymore. 334 00:20:28,477 --> 00:20:32,064 I feel it's a big responsibility to dress these big iconic figures, 335 00:20:32,147 --> 00:20:34,608 because people... know them. 336 00:20:34,691 --> 00:20:36,610 They feel endeared to them. 337 00:20:36,693 --> 00:20:41,114 You have to actually honor them with your artistry. 338 00:20:42,532 --> 00:20:44,284 [Awol] Sometimes, when you watch a film, 339 00:20:44,368 --> 00:20:47,120 it's supposed to represent something real and true, 340 00:20:47,204 --> 00:20:50,123 but then you kind of only get the film version of it. 341 00:20:51,333 --> 00:20:54,419 She always makes a point to bring out the realness. 342 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:57,339 The humanitarian aspect of her costume design, 343 00:20:57,422 --> 00:20:59,383 and the meticulousness of her choices 344 00:20:59,466 --> 00:21:03,595 give the person that's being depicted this kind of dignity, 345 00:21:03,679 --> 00:21:06,473 where historically, you know, that was lacking that. 346 00:21:07,307 --> 00:21:11,270 [Ruth] I looked at the cargo list that was on the real Amistad, 347 00:21:11,353 --> 00:21:15,190 and I saw that there were blankets and there was cloth. 348 00:21:15,941 --> 00:21:21,071 You know, I felt like these were Africans that came from different communities. 349 00:21:21,446 --> 00:21:25,492 They would maybe cover their hair, wrap turbans. 350 00:21:26,702 --> 00:21:29,788 As they arrived, they were brought to jail. 351 00:21:29,997 --> 00:21:34,459 We managed to keep the American flag kind of wrapped on one of the guys' heads, 352 00:21:34,543 --> 00:21:37,462 as if he's unaware of what that means. 353 00:21:38,505 --> 00:21:42,259 And in one of the writings of the Amistad case, 354 00:21:42,342 --> 00:21:45,971 it said that in the courtroom, they looked like doves. 355 00:21:46,430 --> 00:21:50,142 And so, I gave them all these clean white shirts 356 00:21:50,225 --> 00:21:53,520 to sort of give them that dove-like appearance. 357 00:22:00,819 --> 00:22:04,489 You know, I don't like to rely on what my subconscious tells me 358 00:22:04,573 --> 00:22:07,993 because I think it's usually wrong. [laughs] 359 00:22:09,911 --> 00:22:12,706 I love these, uh, runaway slave ads. 360 00:22:13,123 --> 00:22:15,167 Ten-dollar reward for Tabitha. 361 00:22:15,250 --> 00:22:18,337 "Tabitha is about five feet two or three inches high, 362 00:22:18,420 --> 00:22:20,881 dark yellow complexion, stout made, 363 00:22:20,964 --> 00:22:24,051 common head of hair, and about 20 years of age." 364 00:22:26,178 --> 00:22:28,096 I like the people that I read about. 365 00:22:28,180 --> 00:22:33,352 And I really want to see them resurrected in some ways. 366 00:22:33,435 --> 00:22:39,358 So, I work really hard to try to get those details on, uh, an actor. 367 00:22:41,276 --> 00:22:43,612 I think that there hasn't been enough 368 00:22:43,695 --> 00:22:46,198 study of African-American history. 369 00:22:46,281 --> 00:22:50,285 And the way that we tell the stories 370 00:22:50,369 --> 00:22:52,746 sometimes is through movies. 371 00:22:52,829 --> 00:22:56,792 And it's important that we take responsibility for it and... 372 00:22:57,167 --> 00:22:58,460 and, um... 373 00:22:58,919 --> 00:23:02,047 bring to life, as best we can, the truth. 374 00:23:09,221 --> 00:23:11,515 There's eight of us in my family. 375 00:23:12,015 --> 00:23:13,392 I'm the youngest. 376 00:23:14,559 --> 00:23:17,854 -Roy was three years older than me. -[Roy] Yeah. I was working. 377 00:23:18,355 --> 00:23:20,982 [Ruth] I used to go in your room and you used to hate that. 378 00:23:21,066 --> 00:23:22,150 -Yeah. -Why? 379 00:23:22,234 --> 00:23:26,238 I still don't know why, to this day, Roy, why you hated me in your room. 380 00:23:26,321 --> 00:23:27,864 [chuckles] Because it was my stuff. 381 00:23:27,948 --> 00:23:29,616 [both laugh] 382 00:23:31,118 --> 00:23:32,619 Ma, what kind of kid was I? 383 00:23:33,286 --> 00:23:35,914 -A nice daughter. -[Ruth] Ah! I'm glad. 384 00:23:36,623 --> 00:23:38,834 Ma used to drive us all to school, 385 00:23:38,917 --> 00:23:42,546 and then you'd drive up the hill to Springfield Technical Community College 386 00:23:42,629 --> 00:23:43,880 and go to your class. 387 00:23:44,381 --> 00:23:47,592 [Mabel] I was puttin'... I was puttin' emphasis on education then. 388 00:23:47,676 --> 00:23:51,179 I wish I could have went to school a little longer. I like... 389 00:23:51,555 --> 00:23:53,014 I like school. 390 00:23:54,850 --> 00:23:59,187 The thing I believe that my mom instilled in me is this empathy, 391 00:23:59,271 --> 00:24:01,565 this great empathy for people. 392 00:24:02,482 --> 00:24:06,528 You know, because of the psychology that my mom studied 393 00:24:06,611 --> 00:24:08,697 and brought home every day, 394 00:24:08,780 --> 00:24:15,245 I got to take a deep dive into why people are the way they are. 395 00:24:15,328 --> 00:24:19,416 You know, I'm grateful for her for teaching us that empathy. 396 00:24:19,499 --> 00:24:24,713 That's probably why I see the things I see in characters. 397 00:24:28,341 --> 00:24:31,386 This is the old machine that was in my room. 398 00:24:31,636 --> 00:24:33,763 By day, it was a desk, 399 00:24:33,972 --> 00:24:36,641 and, uh, by night, I guess, 400 00:24:36,725 --> 00:24:38,101 it was a sewing machine. 401 00:24:38,185 --> 00:24:39,227 It had a cool light. 402 00:24:40,061 --> 00:24:44,816 I also, when I left, I guess, for school, I wrote a sign. 403 00:24:44,900 --> 00:24:48,028 So, while I was away, nobody would get rid of it. I... 404 00:24:48,111 --> 00:24:50,030 I was endeared to this machine. 405 00:24:50,113 --> 00:24:52,616 It says, "This machine belongs to Ruth E. Carter. 406 00:24:52,699 --> 00:24:55,035 Do not throw it away, sell it, or keep it. 407 00:24:55,577 --> 00:24:57,037 Thank you. It's mine." 408 00:24:57,871 --> 00:25:02,083 I remember I sewed a big, fluffy, orange vest 409 00:25:02,167 --> 00:25:04,711 that I wore to one of my friends' parties. 410 00:25:04,794 --> 00:25:06,880 And she asked me, you know, "Did you make that?" 411 00:25:06,963 --> 00:25:08,173 And I said, "Yeah. 412 00:25:08,673 --> 00:25:09,508 I made it." 413 00:25:10,467 --> 00:25:11,384 [laughs] 414 00:25:12,511 --> 00:25:17,599 I had a knack for creating stuff out of nothing. 415 00:25:20,393 --> 00:25:22,103 [school bell rings] 416 00:25:22,187 --> 00:25:24,481 Going from junior high school to high school, 417 00:25:25,106 --> 00:25:27,692 I decided I wanted to be a Muslim. 418 00:25:29,402 --> 00:25:33,490 So, I took my pants and I opened them up and I made 'em into long skirts, 419 00:25:33,573 --> 00:25:35,242 and I covered my hair. 420 00:25:35,325 --> 00:25:37,619 And I started studying the Koran. 421 00:25:37,702 --> 00:25:40,121 And people thought I was deep, you know? 422 00:25:42,707 --> 00:25:45,126 I'd do the little praying to the east, 423 00:25:45,210 --> 00:25:47,671 and people gave me a little distance, 424 00:25:47,754 --> 00:25:51,007 because I had a purpose and I had an aura. 425 00:25:51,383 --> 00:25:52,342 [laughs] 426 00:25:52,842 --> 00:25:55,595 Eleventh grade, it all went out the window. 427 00:25:56,054 --> 00:25:58,682 I went to the other school that was up the street. 428 00:26:00,684 --> 00:26:05,897 I just remember going to this new high school with this totally new look. 429 00:26:07,023 --> 00:26:10,944 High boots, and long gauchos, and a vest, 430 00:26:11,027 --> 00:26:13,405 and blouses, and a briefcase. 431 00:26:14,364 --> 00:26:16,908 I remember a couple of kids in the hallway 432 00:26:16,992 --> 00:26:19,744 asking me if I was, like, a substitute teacher. 433 00:26:21,329 --> 00:26:22,163 Oh. 434 00:26:22,247 --> 00:26:24,249 You know, I was no longer the Muslim girl. 435 00:26:24,332 --> 00:26:27,002 I was the... you know, the businesswoman. 436 00:26:27,794 --> 00:26:31,423 And then, that way, I put on these personas. 437 00:26:32,841 --> 00:26:35,135 When we try on clothes in a store, 438 00:26:35,343 --> 00:26:39,431 we get excited because they're brand new and fresh. 439 00:26:39,848 --> 00:26:44,269 You walk out of the store with your new item in your shopping bag, 440 00:26:44,352 --> 00:26:48,273 and then you get home and you're like, "What was I thinking? 441 00:26:48,815 --> 00:26:51,443 This doesn't look at all like who I am." 442 00:26:51,526 --> 00:26:53,153 Or, "I feel silly." 443 00:26:54,321 --> 00:26:56,573 You're really talking about character. 444 00:27:01,953 --> 00:27:06,583 One of the ways I get ideas is to go out into the street 445 00:27:06,666 --> 00:27:08,168 and observe people. 446 00:27:10,503 --> 00:27:12,213 Especially when I'm in New York. 447 00:27:13,256 --> 00:27:15,550 I just love to go people-watching. 448 00:27:16,718 --> 00:27:18,678 I look at people's clothes, 449 00:27:19,346 --> 00:27:21,181 how they carry themselves, 450 00:27:22,015 --> 00:27:25,268 and I make up stories in my head about their lives, 451 00:27:25,352 --> 00:27:27,729 and it's all based on what I see. 452 00:27:29,105 --> 00:27:32,901 These are the people that bring the ideas to my work. 453 00:27:36,237 --> 00:27:39,324 Clothing can tell you so much about a person. 454 00:27:41,326 --> 00:27:44,788 You know, if they're a mother, or if they're an artist. 455 00:27:46,081 --> 00:27:50,460 That informs you about what their footwear looks like. 456 00:27:50,543 --> 00:27:52,420 The age of their clothes. 457 00:27:52,712 --> 00:27:56,549 The expense of their clothes. What's their economic status? 458 00:27:57,384 --> 00:27:58,885 What do they care about? 459 00:28:00,053 --> 00:28:02,639 All those things work out on the clothes. 460 00:28:04,057 --> 00:28:05,975 It's part of a bigger picture. 461 00:28:18,530 --> 00:28:21,825 Maybe if we take a little bit less of the research 462 00:28:22,075 --> 00:28:25,995 and, uh, kind of create our own lines down the sides there. 463 00:28:27,122 --> 00:28:29,708 Once I have my ideas, I'll do a rough sketch 464 00:28:29,833 --> 00:28:34,003 and I'll take my ideas over to a digital illustrator. 465 00:28:34,671 --> 00:28:36,715 I think it needs to have a little bit of a train. 466 00:28:36,798 --> 00:28:39,050 -Okay. -We should probably add a train to it. 467 00:28:39,134 --> 00:28:40,885 If we get a little bit more dramatic there 468 00:28:40,969 --> 00:28:44,681 and then add some more of the elements of the shield. 469 00:28:45,098 --> 00:28:48,309 It's up to you to kind of inform them about detail. 470 00:28:48,601 --> 00:28:51,688 That's the great part, because they're really wonderful artists. 471 00:28:51,771 --> 00:28:54,274 And they make you look really good. 472 00:28:54,858 --> 00:28:56,609 [man] It's a very collaborative process 473 00:28:56,693 --> 00:28:59,154 in which we're able to work, but also back up the designer 474 00:28:59,237 --> 00:29:01,823 to figure out what's going on in... in their head, 475 00:29:01,906 --> 00:29:04,242 and try and get it out to everybody else. 476 00:29:05,118 --> 00:29:08,037 -Which is, uh, an art form all in itself. -Yeah. 477 00:29:08,121 --> 00:29:09,247 [laughs] 478 00:29:09,330 --> 00:29:12,083 Are you trying to say that there's a lot in my head? 479 00:29:12,417 --> 00:29:13,293 Mmm, yeah. 480 00:29:13,376 --> 00:29:14,919 [both laugh] 481 00:29:15,503 --> 00:29:19,007 -And I got to get it out of there. -Uh-huh, yeah. I help. I help. 482 00:29:19,090 --> 00:29:20,008 [Phillip] A lot. 483 00:29:20,091 --> 00:29:22,469 [Ruth] Beauty is a subjective thing. 484 00:29:22,552 --> 00:29:26,765 I need it to look like what I'm feeling in my soul. 485 00:29:26,848 --> 00:29:30,477 And when it doesn't feel that way, we have to change it. 486 00:29:34,606 --> 00:29:39,778 For us, as artists, we have to create this into a design that's wearable. 487 00:29:39,861 --> 00:29:41,321 It's wearable art. 488 00:29:41,946 --> 00:29:46,659 You have to be able to foresee what the problems could possibly be 489 00:29:46,743 --> 00:29:49,329 with the materials that you chose. 490 00:29:49,746 --> 00:29:53,583 It can be really scary, because time is money 491 00:29:53,666 --> 00:29:56,753 and you don't want to go down the wrong road. 492 00:29:57,504 --> 00:29:59,297 There's so many details to the vision. 493 00:29:59,881 --> 00:30:03,051 And the bigger the project, the more challenging it gets. 494 00:30:10,391 --> 00:30:12,644 Any time you have to create a world, 495 00:30:12,727 --> 00:30:15,772 it's a huge, monumental task. 496 00:30:18,566 --> 00:30:21,569 When people say, "Wow, she designed the Black Panther. 497 00:30:21,653 --> 00:30:23,238 Tell me how your process is." 498 00:30:23,321 --> 00:30:26,658 I'm like, "Oh, yeah! I go home and cry in my pillow every night 499 00:30:26,741 --> 00:30:28,201 because I'm scared." 500 00:30:28,827 --> 00:30:30,286 [laughs] 501 00:30:30,662 --> 00:30:35,625 I think it was because of the level of stress, the level of responsibility. 502 00:30:35,708 --> 00:30:39,045 You know, I hadn't done a superhero film before. 503 00:30:39,963 --> 00:30:43,424 [Ryan] In a film like Panther, it's as complex as it can get. 504 00:30:43,508 --> 00:30:46,970 But, uh, I'm a football player. Man, like, you know, I came up playing football. 505 00:30:47,053 --> 00:30:48,513 We would call somebody like Ruth... 506 00:30:48,596 --> 00:30:50,431 um, like, we said they had good footwork. 507 00:30:50,515 --> 00:30:52,016 Kind of light-footed. Know what I mean? 508 00:30:52,100 --> 00:30:55,603 Like, she's able to transition in ways that it's almost seamless. You know? 509 00:30:57,605 --> 00:31:02,652 [Ruth] Before the Black Panther, I had small exercises in fantasy 510 00:31:02,735 --> 00:31:04,487 and futuristic ideas. 511 00:31:08,616 --> 00:31:13,621 And one thing that I did o research what would be the future 512 00:31:13,705 --> 00:31:15,290 was to look at the past. 513 00:31:16,207 --> 00:31:19,043 Which is what I also did with Black Panther, 514 00:31:19,127 --> 00:31:22,422 looking at the ancient indigenous tribes around Africa. 515 00:31:22,755 --> 00:31:28,052 And Africa being this vast resource of artistic ideas, 516 00:31:28,303 --> 00:31:32,056 it's kind of fun to sort of reimagine things. 517 00:31:33,391 --> 00:31:35,810 [Ryan] Clothing, you know, it's a form of expression. 518 00:31:36,060 --> 00:31:39,439 When you see people in a film, that's the first thing, usually, 519 00:31:39,522 --> 00:31:41,774 that you get out of them, it's what they're wearing. 520 00:31:41,858 --> 00:31:42,984 You're not thinkin' about it. 521 00:31:43,067 --> 00:31:45,695 You're waitin' for them to talk or for them to do a action 522 00:31:45,778 --> 00:31:47,488 that's gonna tell you something about them. 523 00:31:47,572 --> 00:31:49,490 But... but, you know, that first impression 524 00:31:49,574 --> 00:31:50,658 is what they have on. 525 00:31:51,618 --> 00:31:53,161 When you meet Killmonger in this film, 526 00:31:53,244 --> 00:31:55,747 you know, as soon as you see him, you get a little bit of a read. 527 00:31:55,830 --> 00:31:56,664 Good morning. 528 00:31:56,748 --> 00:31:58,207 [Ryan] He's wearing western clothing. 529 00:31:58,291 --> 00:32:00,043 He's got the denim jacket on with the black-- 530 00:32:00,126 --> 00:32:02,170 It feels contemporary, of the moment. Um... 531 00:32:02,253 --> 00:32:03,922 You kind of clocking all those things. 532 00:32:04,005 --> 00:32:07,133 And I think when it's... when it's working at its best, 533 00:32:07,216 --> 00:32:09,385 you know, costume is... is... is giving you information 534 00:32:09,469 --> 00:32:10,762 about the character 535 00:32:10,845 --> 00:32:12,722 in a way that serves as a story. 536 00:32:18,686 --> 00:32:20,146 [man] When can we get this done? 537 00:32:20,229 --> 00:32:22,148 [Ruth] You can pick any fabric 538 00:32:22,231 --> 00:32:24,400 and they'll make up anything that you want. 539 00:32:25,401 --> 00:32:30,198 African fabrics are actually brought to Africa by the Dutch. 540 00:32:30,281 --> 00:32:33,993 And since we were trying to imagine Wakanda before it was colonized, 541 00:32:34,077 --> 00:32:36,829 we tried to create our own patterns and things. 542 00:32:36,913 --> 00:32:38,498 And then, I mixed in a lot of this, 543 00:32:38,581 --> 00:32:40,416 so, for the color and... 544 00:32:40,500 --> 00:32:41,918 You know, this says Africa. 545 00:32:42,710 --> 00:32:44,921 So, regardless, it does say Africa. 546 00:32:45,630 --> 00:32:48,841 But I was very careful about where I used it. 547 00:32:49,592 --> 00:32:52,303 These are from Mali, the Tuareg. 548 00:32:52,804 --> 00:32:56,057 These are mostly, like, around South Africa, the amber. 549 00:32:56,140 --> 00:32:57,225 They use a lot of it. 550 00:32:58,059 --> 00:33:01,688 We came to places like this to purchase a lot of pieces we used 551 00:33:01,771 --> 00:33:03,106 in the Warrior Falls. 552 00:33:06,567 --> 00:33:09,862 [Ryan] A big theme for me was his concept of what it means to be African 553 00:33:09,946 --> 00:33:12,031 and how colonization has affected that. 554 00:33:12,115 --> 00:33:14,742 You know, we wanted to really define the ethnic groups of Wakanda. 555 00:33:15,034 --> 00:33:17,453 You know, and kind of steep them in real... 556 00:33:17,537 --> 00:33:19,580 you know, real ethnic groups from the continent. 557 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:25,211 [Ruth] The Dora Milaje was the fan favorite. 558 00:33:28,631 --> 00:33:31,342 [Ruth] There were so many things in that costume 559 00:33:31,426 --> 00:33:33,344 that had significance to Africa 560 00:33:33,428 --> 00:33:39,017 and to creating them as the highest ranking female fighting force of Wakanda. 561 00:33:40,059 --> 00:33:45,064 The printing of their bodysuit has this special raised print 562 00:33:45,148 --> 00:33:46,941 to look like scarification. 563 00:33:47,400 --> 00:33:52,196 Their neck rings and arm rings were taken from the Ndebele tribe of South Africa. 564 00:33:52,280 --> 00:33:56,034 And the overall color of red was taken from the Maasai 565 00:33:56,117 --> 00:33:58,077 and many other tribes of Africa. 566 00:33:59,162 --> 00:34:03,041 On the tabard, there are small, uh, trinkets. 567 00:34:03,124 --> 00:34:07,670 And these trinkets represented what tribe they hailed from. 568 00:34:08,421 --> 00:34:09,881 I kind of added that, 569 00:34:09,964 --> 00:34:11,674 so that each of the Dora 570 00:34:11,758 --> 00:34:15,011 would have something that individualized them. 571 00:34:16,095 --> 00:34:17,555 [Ryan] You want it to feel real. 572 00:34:17,638 --> 00:34:21,350 You want it to portray a certain amount of dignity and cultural specificity. 573 00:34:21,434 --> 00:34:24,729 And some of it, you're pulling from real people that exist in the world, 574 00:34:24,812 --> 00:34:27,023 and other bits of it, you're kind of totally inventing. 575 00:34:28,441 --> 00:34:32,820 [Ruth] We were able to infuse cultural and African diaspora 576 00:34:32,904 --> 00:34:36,491 with the realm of fantasy and future, 577 00:34:36,574 --> 00:34:40,912 and keep it within the realm of what the fans knew about Black Panther. 578 00:34:42,413 --> 00:34:45,083 And we needed, like... We, the black folks, 579 00:34:45,166 --> 00:34:48,544 needed a movie like that where there were black heroes. 580 00:34:49,170 --> 00:34:53,007 It's still kind of, you know, inspiring, especially for young kids. 581 00:34:54,217 --> 00:34:57,220 [Ruth] The Black Panther stands alongside 582 00:34:57,303 --> 00:35:00,306 many films that were addressing 583 00:35:00,389 --> 00:35:03,893 those issues of dispelling negative stereotypes 584 00:35:03,976 --> 00:35:05,853 and moving the culture forward. 585 00:35:19,450 --> 00:35:22,370 As much as I love being a designer, 586 00:35:22,620 --> 00:35:25,414 there are sacrifices that come along with it. 587 00:35:26,499 --> 00:35:29,627 You are traveling three months in one city, 588 00:35:29,710 --> 00:35:32,130 and then you're back in another. 589 00:35:33,005 --> 00:35:38,177 And so, it's really hard to cultivate long-standing relationships. 590 00:35:40,638 --> 00:35:43,474 I met my husband in a hair salon. 591 00:35:44,058 --> 00:35:46,435 Mario Jackson. 592 00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:49,397 Snag was his nickname. 593 00:35:50,606 --> 00:35:51,607 His street name. 594 00:35:54,485 --> 00:35:59,031 When I first met my husband, I didn't know he had gang affiliations. 595 00:36:00,283 --> 00:36:03,828 He was charming, he was witty, he was funny. 596 00:36:03,911 --> 00:36:07,707 He was a regular guy, but, you know, he grew up in the Crips. 597 00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:12,003 And as an adult, uh, it's something that just kind of never leaves you. 598 00:36:20,303 --> 00:36:22,722 [Ruth] On Baby Boy, he told me everything. 599 00:36:23,181 --> 00:36:24,599 Some nice shoes. 600 00:36:24,682 --> 00:36:27,435 [Ruth] How they would wear the Stacy Adams, 601 00:36:27,518 --> 00:36:29,979 how they would crease their pants, 602 00:36:30,479 --> 00:36:33,482 what type of Wrangler jeans would be worn, 603 00:36:33,566 --> 00:36:36,611 how the T-shirt would fit at the neck, 604 00:36:36,694 --> 00:36:39,030 what sizes I should buy, 605 00:36:39,113 --> 00:36:41,365 what kinds of belts I should buy, 606 00:36:41,449 --> 00:36:43,826 what a Romeo was, 607 00:36:43,910 --> 00:36:46,037 where I should go and buy them. 608 00:36:47,872 --> 00:36:52,376 All of those terms were defined for me right there in my own house. 609 00:36:54,712 --> 00:36:58,174 You know, it wasn't easy being married to Snag. [chuckles] 610 00:36:59,884 --> 00:37:02,386 He didn't invite that world into our home, 611 00:37:02,762 --> 00:37:06,140 um, but he did, uh, keep an active group of friends 612 00:37:06,224 --> 00:37:10,394 that came from there that he knew all of his life. 613 00:37:15,942 --> 00:37:19,320 That day, he was going out to meet some friends. 614 00:37:19,987 --> 00:37:23,282 I remember standing in the driveway as he was leaving, 615 00:37:23,366 --> 00:37:26,661 and then he stopped before he got in the car 616 00:37:26,744 --> 00:37:30,331 and he came back up the driveway and he gave me a kiss, 617 00:37:30,748 --> 00:37:32,083 and then he drove off. 618 00:37:33,918 --> 00:37:35,670 That was the last time I saw him. 619 00:37:40,841 --> 00:37:45,596 That day, I went and got a canvas. I was going to paint in the backyard. 620 00:37:48,015 --> 00:37:52,561 I saw this picture of this woman with her hands outstretched, looking up. 621 00:37:52,645 --> 00:37:57,858 I started painting this canvas and just kind of getting into the subject. 622 00:38:03,155 --> 00:38:04,907 It was, like, ten o'clock at night, 623 00:38:06,158 --> 00:38:08,244 and I thought, "Well, yeah, I haven't heard from him." 624 00:38:09,996 --> 00:38:12,290 Someone called me and they said, "Oh, Ruth." 625 00:38:14,917 --> 00:38:18,045 And the way they said, "Oh, Ruth," I... 626 00:38:19,130 --> 00:38:20,172 kind of knew. 627 00:38:21,841 --> 00:38:26,804 They were watching a boxing match in a respectable bar. 628 00:38:27,471 --> 00:38:30,308 -[announcer] ...remaining undefeated... -[cheering] 629 00:38:32,601 --> 00:38:34,395 And the guy came in, 630 00:38:34,937 --> 00:38:36,188 he pulled a gun out, 631 00:38:36,939 --> 00:38:38,941 killed my husband's best friend, 632 00:38:39,358 --> 00:38:41,736 and then shot my husband seven times. 633 00:38:44,822 --> 00:38:47,199 Basically, out of jealousy, 634 00:38:47,491 --> 00:38:49,493 because he had changed his life 635 00:38:49,952 --> 00:38:51,412 and moved on. 636 00:38:53,664 --> 00:38:56,667 My feet just weighed a ton. 637 00:38:58,085 --> 00:39:01,464 My feet were like cinder blocks. 638 00:39:01,547 --> 00:39:05,426 I could barely pick my feet up to walk in there. 639 00:39:09,263 --> 00:39:11,140 I know it sounds strange, 640 00:39:11,307 --> 00:39:13,642 but after that happened 641 00:39:13,726 --> 00:39:16,020 and he was freed, 642 00:39:16,645 --> 00:39:17,938 it freed me, too. 643 00:39:18,522 --> 00:39:20,983 And I didn't have the weight of his life anymore. 644 00:39:22,318 --> 00:39:25,196 You know, that's when life began for me again. 645 00:39:42,505 --> 00:39:45,966 I had been searching for a spiritual practice. 646 00:39:46,050 --> 00:39:48,594 Going to church never connected. 647 00:39:48,677 --> 00:39:52,098 Doing meditation just wasn't enough. 648 00:39:53,599 --> 00:39:55,601 And then, Oprah was on set one day. 649 00:39:57,144 --> 00:40:01,565 We were in the middle of Louisiana, in the bayou, 650 00:40:01,649 --> 00:40:03,192 way out somewhere. 651 00:40:03,442 --> 00:40:06,195 And she just said, "You know, art is prayer. 652 00:40:06,529 --> 00:40:08,656 It's just God speaking through you." 653 00:40:10,032 --> 00:40:12,201 And that just hit me like a ton of bricks. 654 00:40:14,036 --> 00:40:18,040 Because I was like, "Wow! Did she just say art is prayer? Like... 655 00:40:18,374 --> 00:40:20,084 I can totally see that." 656 00:40:21,460 --> 00:40:24,296 When you zone out on something that you're working on, 657 00:40:24,797 --> 00:40:26,424 it's creative, 658 00:40:26,674 --> 00:40:28,592 it's imaginative, 659 00:40:28,843 --> 00:40:30,594 it's restorative. 660 00:40:31,470 --> 00:40:33,264 Why wouldn't it be prayer? 661 00:40:38,185 --> 00:40:40,438 I'm gonna take me seriously. 662 00:40:40,771 --> 00:40:41,605 Now. 663 00:40:41,981 --> 00:40:43,816 I have taken school, 664 00:40:43,899 --> 00:40:48,320 parents, friends, poets seriously. 665 00:40:48,404 --> 00:40:51,824 I've known the cracker to be seriously dangerous. 666 00:40:52,241 --> 00:40:56,370 I've taken daytime, nighttime rhetoric seriously, 667 00:40:56,454 --> 00:41:00,958 and been wounded by lovers of slick, black rapping. 668 00:41:01,208 --> 00:41:04,879 I'm gonna look in a mirror each time I pass one 669 00:41:04,962 --> 00:41:09,550 and smile at my image, sayin', "Yeah, sister, it ain't easy, 670 00:41:09,925 --> 00:41:12,303 but move beautifully on past it. 671 00:41:12,386 --> 00:41:14,472 Keep holdin' your head higher, 672 00:41:14,555 --> 00:41:16,807 'cause your best is yet to come." 673 00:41:17,224 --> 00:41:19,059 I'm gonna take me seriously. 674 00:41:19,143 --> 00:41:20,811 Today. Now. 675 00:41:20,895 --> 00:41:22,188 And study myself. 676 00:41:22,271 --> 00:41:24,982 Get a PhD in Ruth Carter 677 00:41:25,065 --> 00:41:27,902 and dare anyone to be an authority on me. 678 00:41:27,985 --> 00:41:31,363 'Cause I'll be wounded with Ruth's beauty, 679 00:41:31,655 --> 00:41:32,573 learning, 680 00:41:32,656 --> 00:41:33,574 love, 681 00:41:33,657 --> 00:41:35,659 and will be dangerous. 682 00:41:35,743 --> 00:41:38,913 I'm gonna be serious about me 683 00:41:38,996 --> 00:41:40,623 and live. 684 00:41:46,712 --> 00:41:47,546 Yeah. 685 00:41:53,469 --> 00:41:55,429 [Ruth] There's a little bit of a dust on his... 686 00:41:55,513 --> 00:41:57,139 right there on his shoulder. 687 00:41:57,223 --> 00:42:01,685 So, you might want to help her, because the collar is a little off center. 688 00:42:01,769 --> 00:42:04,104 Okay, let's... let's move on to the trench coats. 689 00:42:04,188 --> 00:42:05,814 How are we gonna do that? 690 00:42:07,650 --> 00:42:11,153 Black Panther put everything that I've ever done on a pedestal. 691 00:42:12,029 --> 00:42:16,534 And I think that's really nice, to be able to re-introduce your work. 692 00:42:19,203 --> 00:42:21,580 Just look at it as a body of work, now. 693 00:42:34,552 --> 00:42:38,305 This is the first time I've ever seen all those costumes together in one room. 694 00:42:43,644 --> 00:42:46,063 This is great. This is really great. 695 00:42:48,524 --> 00:42:51,360 A lot of great, great memories here. 696 00:42:52,861 --> 00:42:56,657 A lot of really, really important work. 697 00:42:57,241 --> 00:43:01,453 And a lot of great times with a lot of great people. 698 00:43:06,166 --> 00:43:10,462 [Awol] It's very interesting that people are just now kind of catching on to Ruth. 699 00:43:11,922 --> 00:43:14,174 Her work has this presence of, like, "Oh, my God!" Like... 700 00:43:14,258 --> 00:43:17,678 You mean, like, one of those Picasso type of-- You know what I mean? Like it's-- 701 00:43:17,761 --> 00:43:20,472 Her legacy’s, like, so, so much bigger than she is. 702 00:43:22,099 --> 00:43:25,436 [Tanisha] We've seen this woman, over the course of her career, 703 00:43:25,519 --> 00:43:30,482 learn how to bring that humanity, that emotionality 704 00:43:30,566 --> 00:43:32,318 to life through her clothes 705 00:43:32,401 --> 00:43:35,654 in a way that is not only historically accurate, 706 00:43:35,988 --> 00:43:39,325 but that can imagine possibilities for black lives 707 00:43:39,408 --> 00:43:42,411 that the history books have told us wasn't possible. 708 00:43:43,454 --> 00:43:46,457 [Ruth] We go to the movies to be entertained 709 00:43:46,540 --> 00:43:48,792 and to be educated in some ways. 710 00:43:49,752 --> 00:43:52,421 So, it's a big part of our culture. It... 711 00:43:52,504 --> 00:43:54,757 It stamps our place in time. 712 00:43:55,633 --> 00:43:59,803 If I am tasked with this great responsibility 713 00:43:59,887 --> 00:44:02,640 of dressing a culture, 714 00:44:02,723 --> 00:44:05,392 I want to spur it even further 715 00:44:05,476 --> 00:44:07,895 than people have done in the past. 716 00:44:10,064 --> 00:44:11,857 [cheering and applause] 717 00:44:13,359 --> 00:44:16,737 I am so overwhelmed with joy. 718 00:44:17,363 --> 00:44:19,907 Ladies and gentlemen, we made it. 719 00:44:19,990 --> 00:44:23,285 Can you believe this night is finally here? 720 00:44:23,369 --> 00:44:25,704 [cheering and applause] 721 00:44:34,713 --> 00:44:36,048 [Ruth] When I look back, 722 00:44:36,340 --> 00:44:41,095 I see a little bit of a different me with each film. 723 00:44:45,516 --> 00:44:47,059 It feels like I am here. 724 00:44:48,268 --> 00:44:50,938 That I have connected to... 725 00:44:51,480 --> 00:44:52,648 my voice.