Ruth E. Carter: What Makes an Iconic Costume?

Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter makes people look good on the big screen — especially Black people. 

She’s the mind behind the costumes for countless iconic films including Malcolm X, Do The Right Thing, the Black Panther franchise, and arguably the biggest movie this year… Sinners. 

Sam chats with Ruth about the literal blood and sweat that goes into her designs, the first garment she ever made, and working as one of the few Black costume designers in Hollywood. 

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The Sam Sanders Show from KCRW is your guide to entertainment. Find out what makes your favorite artists tick, dissect the trends that shape our culture, or just make sense of that random meme you can’t stop thinking about. Join us every week to unpack the pop culture we love.

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Sam Sanders is an award-winning podcast and radio host. He’s been named best podcast host by both The Ambies and the iHeart Podcast Awards. He was one of the founding hosts of The NPR Politics Podcast and the host who launched both It’s Been A Minute from NPR and Into It from Vulture. He currently co-hosts Vibe Check.