“How ‘Black Panther’ Is Bringing African-Inspired Fashion Back To The Mainstream” (GOOD.is)

I wrote a piece on the impact of “Black Panther’s success on the popularity of African-inspired fashion for GOOD magazine. It starts like this:

“A friend recently shared this story with me — and this happened two weeks after the “Black Panther” premiere in Hollywood: She and a few other people were in an elevator on their way to work when a woman wearing a turquoise boubou (a West African caftan) and gele (a headwrap tied in an intricate design) stepped into the elevator. A different woman gasped and told her how stunning she looked. The “vision in turquoise” smiled and replied, “Thank you. It’s ‘Black Panther.’”

The story made me laugh out loud. I laughed because the “vision in turquoise” credited Marvel’s “Black Panther” for inspiring her to embrace an aspect of African heritage that has often been looked down upon. It also reminded me that it’s rare to see anyone who works for a large corporation going to the office wearing more than a few African-inspired accessories. Remember when Viola Davis wearing her Afro to Oscars in 2012 was seen as revolutionary?

Times have certainly changed since we witnessed Eddie Murphy in a fur-lined coat in “Coming to America.”…

You can read the rest HERE