Women’s History Month Highlight: How Costume Designers Marci Rodgers and Gersha Phillips Are Preserving History

Pictured: Marci Rodgers (left), Gersha Phillips (right)

     Contemporarily female warriors, civil rights icons, and historical figures are just a few types of women depicted in the latest box office films. The recent display of fierce characters on screen is not limited by the talented acting, storylines, or cinematography. It’s important to mention costume design in the conversation. As it relates to substance, what a character is wearing is vital. Strong characters with dynamic personalities need to be outfitted in a way to bring to life their persona and the era in which they are depicted. Eye-catching silhouettes that are accurate to historical context can be challenging to come by. It takes skill and expertise that the average person may not possess. Costume designers are no average joes, as they must be able to cut, sew, and fit garments to film perfection. It’s evident when a film’s fashion department is in the right hands. Such is the case of rising black costume designers Marci Rogers and Gersha Phillips both responsible for designing some of the most historically accurate garment designs in recent years. Marci Rodgers is accredited for Till (2022), Passing (2021), and Blackkklansmen (2018), amongst many other works. While, the equally as talented Gersha Phillips has costumed the likes of A Raisin in the Sun (2008), The Woman King (2022), and Harley and the Davidsons (2018), just to name a few. The films these ladies have worked on have been awarded titles from the NAACP, Costume Designers Guild, and The Critics Choice Awards. These awards and nominations have been hard-earned, of course. 

Pictured: Audra McDonald, Phylicia Rashad
Courtesy of ‘A Raisin In The Sun’ (2008 film) on ABC

Pictured: Sean Combs, Phylicia Rashad, Sanaa Lathan,
Justin Martin, Audra McDonald
Courtesy of ‘A Raisin In The Sun’ (2008 film) on ABC

Pictured: Kevin Spacey (L) and Mahershala Ali (R)
Courtesy: Season 2 of Netflix’s “House of Cards.”
Photo credit: Nathaniel Bell for Netflix

Pictured: Kevin Spacey
Courtesy: Season 2 of Netflix’s “House of Cards.”

     It’s a known fact in the film industry that historical fashion pieces are amongst the hardest genres to produce. One reason is that before fast fashion, clothes and shoes were quite expensive. Items such as penny loafers and real leather jackets were often one-of-a-kind pieces or pieces you could find at department stores like Macy’s, Kohls, and Sears. So while thrifting and consignment shopping are possible to source out vintage clothing, it is much less accessible than it used to be for certain clothing. Another facet of this is that when a show or film embarks upon a historical garment piece it often needs to be historically accurate, which translates to natural performances and time-appropriate accuracy recreated by designers. The Woman King (2022) and Till (2022) are two films that arguably accomplish the complexity of designing dated garments for film. 

Pictured: The Woman King (2022 film)
Courtesy: Sony Pictures Entertainment

Pictured: The Woman King (2022 film)
Courtesy: Sony Pictures Entertainment

Pictured: The Woman King (2022 film)
Courtesy: Sony Pictures Entertainment

Pictured: The Woman King (2022 film)
Courtesy: Sony Pictures Entertainment

     In The Woman King (2022) Gersha Phillips was widely inspired by African- tribal tradition and garments. Phillips meticulously researched traditional African clothing to authentically represent 18th-century Africa. Cited that it was not easy to even find solid sources, Gersha and her team drew inspiration from an actual tribe called the Agooji in the 1820s. Crafted costumes with a strong element, reflecting social hierarchy and tribalism, using elaborate headdresses and intricate garments for characters like the African general (played by Viola Davis) and her daughter (Thuso Mbedu) leading a rebellion, were among their top priorities. The Agooji was an all-women tribe that protected the West African Kingdom of Dahomey aka the real Dora Milaje. Ironically, Phillips worked closely alongside Ruth Carter in costuming for The Black Panther’s fierce warriors, before taking her talents to the real-life story that The Woman King depicts. 

Pictured: Scene from ‘Blackkklansmen’ (2018 film)

Pictured: Scene from ‘Blackkklansmen’ (2018 film)

Pictured: Scene from ‘Passing’ (2021 film)
Courtesy: Netflix

Pictured: Scene from ‘Passing’ (2021 film)
Courtesy: Netflix

     Similarly, in Till, Rodgers recreated 1950s fashion to sensitively portray another historical event in Black history, the story of Emmet Till. While the atrocity happened nearly a century ago Rodgers’s intention helped to bring the bone-chilling story back into the present day.  Consulting historical sources, she truly encapsulates the era’s essence in costumes worn in the late 1950s, by the late Emmit Till (played by Jalyn Hall) and his family, especially the strength of his mother, Mamie Till (played by Danielle Deadwyler), who becomes the film’s fashionable focus. 

Pictured: Scene from ‘Till’ (2022 film)

Pictured: Scene from ‘Till’ (2022 film)
Photography: Orion Pictures

Pictured: Scene from ‘Till’ (2022 film)
Photography: Andre D. Wagner/Orion Pictures

Pictured: Scene from ‘Wu-Tang, an American Saga’
(2019 TV series)