Black Panther director Ryan Coogler told Carter that the Dora Milaje’s costumes should cover their arms and protect their vital organs. For Black Panther, Carter incorporated elements of Afro-futurism and Afro-punk into her designs. Carter says Coogler told her: “We can’t present them in a provocative way, we have to take them seriously. This is not about a bustier and a cheerleading skirt, batman costume adult but we also want their armor to look like jewelry.” Carter says she was “overjoyed” at the idea and ran with it.
