First up this morning.
She is an Oscar winning costume
designer with more than 50 films
and television shows under her very
fashionable belt Black Panther.
Do the right thing, Amistad, Selma.
These are just a few of
the credits to her name,
and right now you can see her
groundbreaking costumes up close in a
new exhibit at the Museum of Pop Culture.
Welcome to new day.
Ruth Carter.
We are so happy it's an honor to have you.
I mean, a little starstruck right
now cause your Hollywood resume
is so extensive and so wonderful.
I mean, I just named a few and
that was just in the 90s I think.
Yeah yeah, and you know you have
had so many wonderful experiences,
but do you have a favorite
movie I have to ask you right
off the top, they're all they're
like my children, you know,
I can't really say there's a
different time for a different movie
and you have a favorite in the 90s
and you have a favorite coming in.
So I would say like maybe Black Panther
was one of my favorites and then,
and I will think back Malcolm.
X might have been a favorite
or Tina Turner would have.
Yeah, it's all a different experience.
That's what's so fascinating
about costume design.
Yeah, and can I just ask you a question?
What's love got to do with it?
The Tina Turner story is actually
one of my favorite movies.
Wow, you had to cover
several decades of fashion.
What was that like?
Well, the fashion team to
Turner took care of herself,
so once I started looking into,
you know some of her old photos I had
access to her photo albums and things.
I saw that she was really a fashion.
Yes, so it was the story of her life that
I had to learn and research and understand.
You know the her arc.
We all have an arc.
Yeah, yeah, so that was really eye
opening and also very heartwarming
because she pulled herself up
from her bootstraps and she
really made herself this big,
bigger than life character.
Amazing yeah I love how you use
the clothing to tell that story.
How how did you get into costuming?
Well, you know I met.
Likely after moving to California,
Los Angeles, he came to see a
dance performance and then months
later called me early in the
morning when one morning and said
this is the man of your dreams.
And I was like Denzel.
So he's no this is spike, you know,
and I want you to do my first
studio film school day so school
days was his first studio film,
but also my first movie ever.
Oh my gosh, that had to be an incredible.
It's scary but fun experience.
Yeah, what's fun? I did theater before then,
so I kind of knew the road. Yeah, yeah,
you mentioned a little bit before when
we were talking about Tina Turner movie,
but what goes into the process? How?
What kind of research do you do? Usually
it's it varies depending on
the project with Tina Turner.
Had all of her performances,
you know, on VHS you know I had
them all and I was screen grabbing
and really getting all of the stage
performance costumes exactly the
way they were when she wore them.
And then one day she showed up
on set like out of the blue and
I shared with her the photos of
everything and and we had a really
wonderful exchange about her life
and and the choices that she made.
So sometimes it's the actual person and
then other times it's research, you know.
Like with Black Panther,
we looked at all the tribes around
Africa and we were influenced by them
and so it's all different for each movie.
That's
incredible.
Tell me more about Black Panther.
Kind of what what went into
creating that overall look.
I mean that one scene where
everyone comes together, it's
the warrior falls yeah,
so amazing yeah, well you know
it's just a step by step process.
Ryan Coogler the director gives you a
lot of guidance you you are an artist
yourself so you bring a lot to the table.
We studied the tribes and we were
inspired by different tribes of Africa.
But then we also had to infuse modern
technology right to create a modern society.
And so we use 3D printing and all kinds of
new technologies that were new to costuming.
Yeah, you know,
3D printing has been around,
but not in the costume area,
so that was what's made it exciting. I
that's amazing to me.
That is so cool.
What really quickly?
What kind of things do you
create with the 3D printing?
Ohh wow well. We created Queen Ramonda's
crown whose 3D printed it's called
the Nikolo and her shoulder mantle
was created in a box 3D printed.
Yeah, the Black Panther buckle that
the door Mellage wears 3D printed.
That is so fascinating.
And then we had to go to
Europe to have it done.
Now in my office you can have
the 3D printer right there.
Oh my goodness yeah on the topic
of Black Panther. How did you
learn to create Afrofuturism?
Well, you know it's all about
infusing modern technology and
not keeping people in the past,
just honoring the past,
honoring culture and then moving
it into the future and using
technology and what it can
envision for an inclusive future.
Some of your most famous costumes
are on display at mopop.
What do you hope visitors
feel as they experience your
work? I just hope that they exceed that.
The experience goes beyond the silver screen.
It does land in a career where you
know if you have children that really
wanna be artists or wanna be creators.
Here's an example of someone who had a
small beginning and wanted to be an artist.
Wanted to be a designer and and received
the Oscar so you can go on that journey
with your family and it's really.
It's really immersive.
I love it. Tell us about the
exhibit. What can we see?
Oh, there is roots. There's amistad.
There's the shaft coat that, ohhh yeah,
there's Oprah's costume from the
Butler there's there are zoot suits.
If you never saw zoot suit in real life,
you can go to the museum and see
the zoot suits from Malcolm X.
There's a coming to America.
Eddie Murphy's costumes are there.
It's it is really a full view of
the from the little sewing machine
I had when I was a kid all the
way to my Oscar. Yes ohh
I love it. You designed yourself.
It's a long story.
I only have a little time left,
but I just wanted to ask you.
I had as I've always had a secret
and I would have loved to be a
costume designer. What I love it.
I never learned to sew, though you
don't have to sow, that's what
people don't know really.
You just have to have big ideas. I
love it. See, I think it's so fantastic.
Any advice to someone who is
looking to maybe share their dream?
Yes, just realize that it's not
a profession where you have to
do all the jobs you can just do
one of them, whether you like.
To draw whether you like to sew or
just create idea of mood boards that
will make you a costume designer.
Thank you so much.
It has been inspiring talking to you.
I am so excited.
Cannot wait to go see the exhibit
and you can see the Ruthie Carter
after a futurism in costume
design right now at Mopop.
The exhibition is included with the
price of general admission ticket,
which is really awesome.