The Movie Costume Designs That Landed Ruth E. Carter Her Record Oscar Nominations!

While Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” just made Oscar history by receiving 16 nominations across categories such as Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and a nod to Michael B. Jordan for Best Actor, one Black woman behind the scenes of the 2025 horror film has just broken the record for most Academy Award nominations for a Black woman, like ever! Here is what you need to know about the legendary costume designer Ruth E. Carter.

With five Oscar nods, Carter has taken a step up on the podium from Viola Davis, with whom she previously tied for four nominations. Now, she is in the same league as Morgan Freeman and Spike Lee, who are tied for third behind Quincy Jones with seven nominations and Denzel Washington, who has taken the crown by being recognized by the Academy Awards nine times, according to Variety.

“Malcolm X” (1992)

Ruth E. Carter earned her first Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design for the 1992 biographical drama “Malcolm X” by director Spike Lee. At that point, it was their fifth collaboration.

To research the role, the Massachusetts native told Vogue that she spent time looking at Malcolm X’s files from the state’s Department of Corrections to give her a better sense of his life and help her build confidence in the choices she was making for the costumes.

“They gave me files and files of his letters, of his medical records. His whole entire experience in Massachusetts was sat right in front of me, and I would actually get to know the man behind the face a lot better. I could make decisions on clothing choices because I would know him better,” she said in a 2025 interview with Vogue.

In the same interview, Carter added that Lee told her not to “think about winning awards” and to “just do a good job.” Carter did an incredible job! The costume design for “Malcolm X” led her to receive her first nod of recognition from the Academy and become the first Black woman nominated in the category.

“Amistad” (1997)

Carter’s second nomination came for Steven Spielberg’s 1997 historical drama “Amistad,” which was based on the 1839 uprising on a Spanish slave ship.

In a 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Carter said that researching “Amistad” was some of the most beautiful research she ever performed. She was intentional with the way she presented the captured people, such as Djimon Hounsou’s character Cinqué, to ensure they came across as more human and honored compared to common historical depictions of African people.

However, while an Oscar nomination would be enough to make most industry professionals jump for joy, Carter noted in an interview with Hollywood Authentic that it was the “loneliest nomination” she ever received.

“It was the loneliest nomination ever because the film didn’t get the nomination. But I was reminded that this is not the reason you’re doing this; it isn’t the crux of what makes this experience so impactful and so important for you,” Carter said.

“Black Panther” (2018)

In 2019, Carter finally took home her first Academy Award for her costume design for Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther.” The 2018 comic adaptation also made Oscar history that year by being the first superhero film nominated for Best Picture, according to Marvel.

Her research for the film consisted of looking at the original Marvel comics, 1960s fashion that fused African and urban styles with headwraps and scarves, a dive into Afrofuturism and African tribes such as the Maasai, the Suri and the North African Tuareg, according to a 2018 interview with Forbes.

Carter made history that night by becoming the first Black woman to win for Best Costume Design. Reflecting on her win with Hollywood Authentic, Carter said she felt it was an important moment for the culture.

“It felt like I was still doing this for the culture; still achieving these goals for the community. Still being an example for the next young girl coming in behind me, to show that they can, too. And that’s really what I was overwhelmed with joy about,” she said.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (2022)

Collaborating again with Ryan Coogler again as costume design “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Carter took home her second oscar win in 2023.

Again, Carter performed heavy research for the film and took inspiration from more than just African tribes for the project. For the introduction of new tribal groups like the Talokanil, a Mesoamerican-inspired tribe that inhabits the underwater kingdom of Talokan, Carter read and spoke to historians about Mayan, Aztec, and Guatemalan history, according to Vanity Fair.

Since the film was also a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, Carter considered how to honor him through the art of costuming. For T’Challa’s funeral scene, Carter told Variety that the characters wore white not only in honor of African traditions but also in respect to Boseman.

“In the Ancestral Plane, when T’Challa wakes up and sees his father, he’s wearing white. White is a color that’s worn in a lot of funerals in Africa — it’s either bright red or it’s white — and we chose white because it connects us to Chadwick, to T’Challa,” she explained.

 Speaking to People after her second Academy Award, the costume designer said the Oscar win made her feel affirmed in her career and as a role model.

“I was kind of shaking my head as I walked up onto the stage because I thought to myself, ‘I am the role model.’ I felt affirmed,” she said, adding, “This is real. Not that I didn’t feel like I was real, it just felt even more important.”

“Sinners” (2025)

That brings us to “Sinners,” which has led Carter to break Oscar history by earning her fifth nomination, the most nominations for a Black woman ever across all categories.

In her YouTube series “Behind the Seams,” which explains the process of her creative costume direction, the most important part for her was taking Coogler’s directive and making it feel grounded in reality.

“As the costume designer, it was about taking the directive and translating it into something grounded and believable in 1931 Mississippi. Every layer had to be intentional, worn in and true to the world. Ryan [Coogler] gave the vision that Stack [Michael B. Jordan] wears red, Smoke [Michael B. Jordan] wears blue. I continue to bring that vision to life,” she said.

Thanks to Carter’s artistic vision, she has helped “Sinners” break Oscar records by becoming the first film to receive 16 nominations. It will hopefully be a night of Black excellence at the Academy Awards, and we’re crossing our fingers that Carter will secure her third win, continuing to be a trailblazer for the next generation of Black women in costume design.