Ruth E. Carter – Wikipedia

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American costume designer

Ruth E. Carter (born April 10, 1960) is an American costume designer for film and television.[2] During her film career, Carter has been nominated four times for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, for her work on Spike Lee’s biographical film Malcolm X (1992), Steven Spielberg’s historical drama film Amistad (1997), and Ryan Coogler’s Marvel superhero films Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).[3]

Carter has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design four times, and won for her work on Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She is the first Black woman to win in the category and the first Black woman to win multiple Academy Awards in any category.[4][5]

Early life[edit]

Carter was born on April 10, 1960 in Springfield, Massachusetts in a single-parent household. Her mother is Mabel Carter,[6] and she was the youngest of eight children. At nine years old, she began attending the Boys & Girls Club. Using her mother’s sewing machine, Carter learned from the organization how to read and design simplicity patterns.[7] She graduated from Springfield Technical High School. In 1982, Carter graduated from Hampton Institute, later renamed Hampton University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts.[1]

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After graduating, Carter returned to her hometown, working as an intern for City Stage’s costume department and then the Santa Fe Opera. In 1986, she moved to Los Angeles to work at the city’s Theater Center.[8] While working there, Carter met director Spike Lee, who hired her for his second film, School Daze (1988). She continued working on his subsequent films, including Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo’ Better Blues (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), and Malcolm X (1992).[9][10]

Aside from her work with Spike Lee, Carter also designed costumes for Steven Spielberg’s Amistad (1997) and several of John Singleton’s films, such as Rosewood (1997) and Baby Boy (2001).[2] She further designed costumes for the American television drama series Being Mary Jane on BET Networks, created by Mara Brock Akil and starring Gabrielle Union.[11]

Carter worked on the superhero film Black Panther (2018), directed by Ryan Coogler. Deriving from Afrofuturism, her costumes were inspired by many traditional African garments, including those of the Maasai and Ndebele people.[12] She traveled to southern Africa to draw aesthetic inspirations and received permission to incorporate traditional Lesotho designs into the film’s costumes.[13] At the 91st Academy Awards, she won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, making her the first Black woman to win the Academy Award in the category.[14]

In 2021, Carter received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the film category.[15]

In 2023, Carter won her second Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).[5] During her acceptance speech, Carter dedicated her win to her mother, who had passed away during the prior week at the age of 101.[6] Also in 2023, the North Carolina Museum of Art hosted an exhibit displaying more than sixty of Carter’s original garments.[16]

Filmography[edit]

Television[edit]

Awards and nominations[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b “Hampton University Alumna, Ruth E. Carter, to Receive Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Feb. 25”. Hampton University. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  2. ^ a b James, Kendra (November 23, 2016). “Radical Fashion: An interview with the costume designer Ruth Carter”. Lenny Letter. Archived from the original on December 6, 2016.
  3. ^ Bradley, Laura (February 16, 2018). “The Secrets Behind Black Panther’s Spellbinding Fashion”. Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  4. ^ Coggan, Devan (February 24, 2019). “Ruth E. Carter makes Oscar history as first black woman to win Best Costume Design”. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Tangcay, Jazz (March 12, 2023). “Ruth E. Carter Becomes First Black Woman to Win Two Oscars”. Variety. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Landrum Jr., Jonathan (March 13, 2023). “Ruth E. Carter becomes 1st Black woman to win 2 Oscars”. KKTV. Associated Press. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  7. ^ Herman, Vallie (June 2015). “Spotlight On: Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter”. Costume Designers Guild. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  8. ^ Platanitis, Sarah (February 22, 2015). “Hollywood costume designer Ruth Carter talks about her roots in Springfield and Oscar nods”. The Republican. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019.
  9. ^ Landis, Deborah Nadoolman (2003). “Ruth Carter”. Costume Design. Focal Press. pp. 37–45. ISBN 978-0-240-80590-0.
  10. ^ Kirkham, Pat (2002). “‘Three Strikes Against Me’: African American Costume Designers”. Women Designers in the USA, 1900–2000: Diversity and Difference. Yale University Press. pp. 142–143. ISBN 978-0-300-09331-5.
  11. ^ “BET Networks Announces New Programming at Annual Upfront Presentation”. The Futon Critic. April 2, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  12. ^ Long, Kelle. “Black Panther Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter Explains the Symbolism of Her Work”. Motion Picture Association of America. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  13. ^ “Clarks brought out Black Panther’s costume designer to celebrate their new sneaker collab”. The Fader. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  14. ^ Wilson, Julee (February 24, 2019). “Ruth E. Carter Becomes The First Black Woman To Win Oscar For Best Costume Design”. Essence. Archived from the original on February 25, 2019.
  15. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (February 24, 2021). “Ruth E. Carter Makes History With a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame”. Variety. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021.
  16. ^ “Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design”. North Carolina Museum of Art. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  17. ^ Blauvelt, Christian (August 28, 2020). “Ruth E. Carter Preserves Black History Through Fashion”. IndieWire. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  18. ^ “Ruth E. Carter”. IMDb. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  19. ^ a b “Actor Mekhi Pfifer and Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter Honored at American Black Film Festival”, Jet, July 22, 2002.
  20. ^ “ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood”. Essence. Retrieved June 4, 2021.

Further reading[edit]

  • Kirkham, Pat; Stallworth, Shauna (2000). “Chapter 4: “Three Strikes Against Me”: African American Women Designers”. Women Designers in the USA, 1900-2000: Diversity and Difference. New York: Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts. pp. 141–143, 258. ISBN 978-0-300-09331-5. OCLC 48628173.
  • Landis, Deborah Nadoolman (2003). Screencraft. Costume Design. Burlington, MA: Focal Press. ISBN 978-0-240-80590-0. OCLC 718593913.

External links[edit]


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