JJ Valaya designs royal costumes for Eddie Murphy’s ‘Coming 2 America’
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The couturier joins 38 international designers in collaborating with Academy Award-winning costume designer, Ruth Carter
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The couturier joins 38 international designers in collaborating with Academy Award-winning costume designer, Ruth Carter
The reviews for
Coming 2 America have been pouring in since yesterday, even if they are mixed. Do we really need Eddie Murphy returning as Prince Akeem Joffer from the fictional African nation of Zamunda, some critics ask. The Akeem from the 1988 comedy classic is now middle-aged with three daughters, but journeys to America to find the son he never knew he had. It has a similar template to the original. But one thing that is unanimous about this film that has landed on Amazon Prime Video is that it is a sartorial feast. Credit goes to Ruth E Carter and the 39 designers she brought on board. The Oscar-winning costume designer
After receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame just last week, costume designer Ruth E. Carter has yet another reason to celebrate with the release of
Coming 2 America on Amazon today. Carter, who’s also the first Black woman to win an Oscar in the costume design category for
Black Panther, was brought on to conceptualize the looks worn by the eclectic array of characters that appear in this continuation of Eddie Murphy’s comedy classic from 1988. The sequel is naturally set decades later, and also largely an ocean apart from the original’s primarily State-side location.
“In this film we spend most of our time in Zamunda, so I got an opportunity to tell that side of the story,” says Carter of the new film’s rendering of the fictional African nation and the style of its citizens. The tale she had a hand in weaving is that of Murphy’s King Akeem Joffer, who’s now married to Queen Lisa (Shari Headley) his romantic interest from the first movie back when he w
Zerina Akers Talks New Project Black Owned Everything I think that the uproar of last year has created a certain accountability for many companies to actually put their money where their mouth is, Akers tells ESSENCE. Photo: Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for ESSENCE Fashion House)
Earlier this month, wardrobe maven Zerina Akers officially launched Black Owned Everything. Last year, Akers started an Instagram page with the same name, providing a social directory and immediate exposure to Black-owned brands. After encompassing a successful run on social media, the curator has launched a platform that is both a marketplace and media culture hub built to amplify a diverse community of creators.