Rocio Villalobos 
EDINBURG – Ruth Carter has designed hundreds of costumes for films and television series spanning all genres. For the 16th season of UTRGV’s Distinguished Speaker Series, Carter sharing all the work that went into creating the unique and stunning designs of Black Panther —Marvel’s 5th highest-grossing film of all time.
In a presentation at the Edinburg campus, Carter discussed some of her favorite looks behind the film, for which she won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design, and how the ideas came about.
The designer from Massachusetts graduated from Virginia’s Hampton University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1982 and debuted her work in Hollywood for Spike Lee’s film, School Daze in 1988.
We sat down with Carter before she returned to Los Angeles and asked her if in her 30-plus year career she ever experiences creative block and how she overcomes it.
“Ask for help,” she said. “That’s the biggest thing that I’ve learned. When I am stuck, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Once you go to the right resource for help, it opens you up again.”
Early Childhood Education student Eula Nicholson Perez attended Carter’s presentation with the aim of discovering how she stays motivated and passionate about what she does.
“I just recently saw the Black Panther and it was so exciting so I’m glad to hear her talk about what inspired her to design the outfits,” Nicholson Perez said.
Over the years Carter says she’s seen the design industry evolve, which has led to a greater appreciation of the craft.
“Now that social media has come into our lifestyle we can post all our stuff, we can show what we did behind the scenes,” Carter said. “People are more aware of all of the roles, what is done in all of the roles.”
To the 30-plus costume design students at the presentation, Carter shares a few tips to reach success encouraging them to take risks and always remain learning.
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