FROM INSPIRATION TO ASPIRATION

Inspiration and aspiration are different but still relate with one another. Inspiration deals with the influence that makes one do something whereas aspiration is hope driven. Under the influence of a strong inspiration, aspirations are subject to change.

Just recently, the hit movie “Black Panther” premiered February 16, 2018 has been accredited for a black superhero as a headliner, a nearly all-black cast, a black director, screenwriter, and cinematographer. All of this united melanin really says a lot about what we can do as a people if we start building each other up instead of tearing one another down. But enough of all of that, I want to focus more so on the costume designer, Ruth E. Carter, who capitalized on her African culture inspirations and brought them to life.

Ruth E. Carter is an African American costume designer for film and television, with over 40 films to her credit, who has mastered the look of multiple periods and genres in envisioning the clothing and overall appearance of a character or performer. Carter has worked on renowned black films ranging from, just to name a few, House Party 2, Love & Basketball, B*A*P*S, and Dr. Dolittle 2. Regarding her most recent work on the Afrofuturist film, Black Panther, she found inspiration from African art and craft, and indigenous tribal wear from all over the continent. She was assigned the task to evoke an African country that had never been colonized. Drawing inspirations from the continents past helps curate the aspirations of its future.

That in itself is how we can all evolve. We are constantly looking at our history to try and not repeat it, but somehow we are blinking too fast or not fully comprehending where things went wrong, thus causing us to be in similar binds as our ancestors. Be that as it may, kudos to Ryan Coogler (film director) and Ruth E. Carter for the production of an indelible film.

Thanks to Mr. Tommy Nichols, President and Founder of Charlotte Black Film Festival, Charlotte will be having its 8th annual festival. One of the emerging events of the festival will be the “Fashion of Film Showcase”. This year's theme, regarding the showcase, is “Essence of Creativity" where they are celebrating the Art of Film, the Fashion of Film, the Creation of Film and the Music of Film. Their Fashion of Film competition will allow designers to showcase their creative talents while incorporating film into their designs. This year’s contest is asking entrants to design a stylish and innovative garment that reflects their personal interpretation of a fashion flare film. With that being said, there will be two designers that I have the pleasure of going to school with participating in the competition: Yolanda Suero and Tiffany Huggins. Finalists will present their designs at the Fashion of Film Showcase at the Charlotte Convention Center on Friday, April 6th, 2018, at 7:30 PM. Winners will be announced at the 8th Annual Red Carpet Vision Awards April 7, 2018, at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Yolanda, better known as "Yolie", is from New Jersey. She currently works and resides in Cornelius, NC where she is the Founder and head designer of Millennium designs. Her clients are innovated individuals that are looking for new ways to be creatives. Their age may range from 25-35. "Our clients are for the now and are ready to make a statement," exclaims Yolie. You can find her on all social media platforms at Millennium_design13

Tiffany is from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. She currently works and resides in Charlotte, NC. Tiffany is the Co-Founder and head designer of TiffanyAnisa LLC where custom garments are designed for women of all sizes. Tiffany says "I learned how to sew by the women in my family. Growing up in the Caribbean, we were limited to fashionable clothing." She goes on to say "it was hard for me to find cute clothes being that I was a plus sized girl, therefore, I decided to design my own." Tiffany's garments are distinguishable by observing the neatness, structure, and quality of its construction. What sets TiffanyAnisa LLC apart from competition is their eye for detail, their passion, and fulfilling the satisfaction of their customer's needs. You can find her on Instagram and Snapchat at tiffanyanisallc.

Literally, whether it is a movie, a painting, a song, or a book, true artists pull inspiration from anything and anywhere. The difference between you and the next person is how you both can look at the exact same thing simultaneously and be moved by it in totally different ways. Because these two lovely individuals have to design based solely off of their inspiration from their provided films, who's to say that maybe one day they would not aspire to be costume designers for films to come.

So I am curious to know, when was the last time you were inspired? Have you caught up with your aspirations?