Chromat x Black Panther x NYFW
February 20 2018
Chromat was tapped by Disney and Marvel Studios to design a custom, one-of-a-kind look inspired by Black Panther. The look debuted at the amazing "Welcome to Wakanda" event at NYFW. Chromat, who I’ve been with since 2015, hired me as their special project designer for this project.
Pictured: Tolu Aremu, Lupita Nyong'o, Becca McCharen-Tran, Tash Ncube, and Danai Gurira.
The Inspiration Behind the Look
Pictured: Tolu’s mother, Nike Aremu.
“When creating this Black Panther-Inspired Chromat look, the first thing that popped into my head was my muse: my mom. At Chromat, we design for strong, powerful, unapologetic women and empower women of all shapes, sizes, and colors. The Black Panther film introduces strong black superheroes and cultural diversity with Africa as its backdrop. In my eyes, my mother is the most powerful, selfless, unapologetically strong Nigerian #ChromatBABE I’ve ever known. From the colorful Gele to the bold patterned Ankara, and down to the Chromat cage and silhouette, I wanted this look to embody her colorful and bold spirit." - Tolu
Pictured: Tash Ncube in Black Panther-Inspired x Chromat Look
“The printed fabric is called Ankara," Aremu told us of the dress she made, along with Chromat’s founder Becca McCharen-Tran.
“I got it straight from Lagos, Nigeria, from my second cousin. I called on WhatsApp, and she sent me a whole bunch for us to choose from.” –WhoWhatWear
More Press:
New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Complex, Vanity Fair, i-D, InStyle, Paper Magazine, Essence, USA Today, The Cut, Mic, The Daily News, and Who What Wear.
Pictured: Becca McCharen-Tran, Ben Ritter, and Tolu Aremu
“Couldn’t have done any of this without the love and support of Becca McCharen-Tran and my Chromat family.”
<3 Tolu