Celebrating hero and heritage
Stunning African fashions on display at screenings for Black Panther movie
The vibrant African fashion of Black Panther has been on display at multiplexes around North America as moviegoers flock to showings of Marvel’s latest superhero blockbuster wearing traditional African shirts, dresses, head wraps and more.
Some opted to make their own clothes to celebrate the arrival of a superhero many black moviegoers said provided opportunity for them to celebrate their heritage in a way they haven’t been able to before.
“We’re excited because we get representation in a film that’s not about slavery, that’s not about trials and tribulations, but about a powerful African empire, which is where we come from in the first place,” said tattoo artist Elisheba Marozik, who attended one of the first showings of the new movie in Nashville.
She wore a flowing shoulderless black gown broken up by patterns of purple and yellow designs that she said was made in Nigeria and that she bought for the film’s release and Black History Month.
“Somebody that looks like me is a superhero and nobody is whitewashing it. And it’s beautiful,” she said.
In the nearly 10 years since Marvel’s Iron Man sparked sprawling film superhero universes, there have been plenty of chances for fans to wear clothes that pay homage to favourites such as SpiderMan, Batman, the Hulk and more.
But Black Panther has sparked an opportunity for black moviegoers to watch a superhero who not only looks like them, but introduces a different view of Africa than has traditionally been seen in theatres. Set in the fictional nation of Wakanda, a technologically advanced oasis that has never been colonized, the film has been praised for its vision of Afrofuturism, strong and smart female characters, and a story that shatters stereotypes about the continent and its people.
In New York’s Times Square, Miquain Gainey wore a Basotho blanket used by the Bantu tribe in South Africa. “It’s featured very prominently in the film, and it’s cultural heritage,” he said. Gainey said he wanted something fashionable that fit the film, but he also wanted to stay warm.
In Nashville, Latarsher White and her family wore custom-made African clothing because it made them feel connected to their heritage.
Ronald Simmons, founder of the website YouDontReadComics.com, sported a Black Panther T-shirt to a Times Square show Thursday night.
“If I was a kid, and I saw Black Panther that would have been great,” he said. “I grew up in a lot of heroes and none of them look like me at all. And I still love those heroes, but I can imagine being a kid and seeing, you know, a character that looked like me, I would be pretty hyped.”