“When I got into the business, I realized how much I loved telling stories through costume design,” she says. The Woman King Costume Designer Gersha Phillips. “It was really interesting how much you can tell about a character and how important costume design is to production and storytelling.”
The Woman KingDirected by Gina Prince-Bythewood tells the story of the Agojie warriors in the kingdom of Dahomey. Inspired by true events in the 1820s, Viola Davis plays Nanisca, leader of the all-female warrior unit known as the Agojie, as she trains and prepares the next generation of recruits to fight an invading army.
I assisted costume designer Ruth Carter with her research for the warrior women in Black Pantherfavorite Dora Milaje, Phillips was thrilled to work on the project that captures her real-life inspiration. “It was fun to travel and find out how many other wonderful warriors there are from Africa,” she says.
According to Phillips, one of the most important aspects of costume design was creating an accurate representation of the outfits worn by the real Agojie. “At first I thought I would make all my material and print everything myself, which was impossible,” she says. With the help of African craftsmen, such as a block printer in Gambia and weavers from Northern Ghana, she managed to keep the costumes as historically accurate as possible. “They used the resist-dye method,” she says, “and used a lot of indigo, so we tried to replicate that.”
Certain aspects of the costumes were designed to distinguish between the warriors, which Phillips was able to achieve by basing everything on Nanisca. “What we would do to upgrade them was just add more stuff,” she says. “She had her own jewelery set specially made by our team, and her belts and accessories always included grass, which would be something that would show her rank.” The rest of the warriors had fewer accessories, but Phillips and her team allowed each actress to choose their own symbols for their bracelets and belts. “Some were specifically Dahomey and some were West African.”
Click on the video above to watch the full discussion.
Author: Ryan Fleming
Source: Deadline
Errol Villanueva is an author and lifestyle journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a passion for exploring the latest trends in fashion, food, travel, and wellness, Errol’s articles are a must-read for anyone interested in living a stylish and fulfilling life.
