19 Celebrity Red Carpet Looks Inspired by Their Heritage
1.
At the 2021 Met Gala, themed “In America: A Dictionary of Fashion,” Naomi Osaka stunned in a Louis Vuitton dress co-designed by her sister Mari Osaka. The tennis star – who is Japanese and Haitian – wore an obi-style belt, a koi fish print and bright colors reminiscent of the Caribbean.
2.
At the same Met Gala, Saweetie wore a custom Christian Cowan gown with a trailing cape that featured the colors of the Black American Heritage flag on one side and the colors of the Philippine flag on the other. “That makes me an American girl,” she said.
3.
In 2019, Priyanka Chopra was honored for her work in cinema at the Marrakech International Film Festival. According to Vogue India, she wore an ivory Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla sari, “overflowing with mukaish work” and hand-embroidered with “sequins in a geometric jaali leitmotif.”
4.
At the 2022 Met Gala, Quannah Chasinghorse — a member of the Han Gwich’in and Oglala Lakota tribes — wore feathers in her hair and traditional jewelry by bead artist Lenise Omeasoo.
5.
Lupita Nyong’o attended the 2016 premiere of Queen of Katwe in a custom Carolina Herrera dress and matching headscarf. Her stylist Micaela Erlanger told PopSugar that Lupita’s Kenyan heritage influenced the look. “It was directly inspired by a fabric I brought back from Africa last July when I visited Kenya with Lupita. The colors were amazing and the print was so beautiful.”
6.
At the 2022 Black Adam premiere, Drew Afualo and her boyfriend Pili represented Samoa from head to toe. As a Samoan woman myself, I’m still obsessed with her tapa corset dress. This cloth is made from bark and is of great importance in Polynesian cultures. Pili wore an Ula Fala (the red necklace) and an Ie Faitaga, often worn by men on formal occasions.
7.
This year, Ali Wong – a Vietnamese and Chinese – attended the Time 100 gala in an áo dài (traditional Vietnamese dress) and headpiece. On Instagram, designer Thai Nguyen thanked the actor “for this iconic moment that represents Vietnamese culture and the beauty of áo dài.”
8th.
At the premiere of Eternals in 2021, Kumail Nanjiani wore a Pakistani sherwani from Umar Sayeed. He told The Hollywood Reporter: “I wanted to wear a sherwani because 1. It looks great and 2. My costume in the film always reminded me of sherwani.” The actor called his mother, who gave him the names of three designers in Pakistan called.
9.
Last year, Ariana DeBose attended the BAFTAs and the Critics Choice Awards in one day. The Afro-Latina actress, who won at both awards shows for her performance in “West Side Story,” wanted to honor her character Anita’s roots and her own Latina roots. That’s why she wore red carpet looks by Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta, two Latino designers. Ariana chose shades of yellow as a homage to Anita’s costume.
10.
In 2016, Auli’i Cravalho performed a hula at the world premiere of Moana. The Hawaii-native actor wore a hula skirt, lei po’o, and what appeared to be dangling flower earrings.
11.
In 2018, Tiffany Haddish wore a traditional Eritrean dress to the Oscars. “My father is from Eritrea and passed away last year,” she told ABC. “He said one day I would end up here, and if I ever end up at the Oscars, to honor my people.”
12.
This year, Richa Moorjani wowed at the premiere of the final season of Never Have I Ever. According to Vogue India, she wore an ensemble by Amit Aggarwal: a lehenga, a hand-embroidered blouse and a textured palla with geometric patterns.
13.
At the 2019 Academy Awards, where Mahershala Ali became the first black actor and a Muslim to win best supporting actor twice, he wore a hat that went viral on the internet. His stylist Van Van Alonso told The Hollywood Reporter: “It’s a reference to a Jinnah cap. He had sent me a lot of photos of hats, some African looks, some fez hats, and we decided to do it.” [do] something that was rounder at the top… We did a lot of research and found Gigi Burris. They were really excited about working with us and it was fun.”
14.
Ashley Callingbull – Plains Cree of the Enoch Cree Nation – wore a stunning dress to the 2022 Canadian Country Music Awards. Indigenous designer Pam Baker shared a picture of the model on Instagram and wrote: “Beautiful @ashleycallingbull carrying my family pole.”
15.
At the 2021 MTV Movie & TV Awards, Yara Shahidi wore her own jumpsuit from her Adidas collaboration that celebrates her Black and Iranian heritage. The actress told Harper’s Bazaar that her intention behind the clothing was to “honor the past in a way that also pays homage to the future.”
16.
At the 2021 Encounter premiere, Riz Ahmed wore a pink kurta by Prada. Although he was born and raised in London, he told the New York Times that his Pakistani heritage alienated him at school. Wearing a kurta to a film event was an act of reclamation and an opportunity to subvert “Eurocentric and pre-colonial” constructs around masculinity.
17.
Although it hasn’t been confirmed, fans suspected that Camila Cabello’s performance at the 2018 VMAs was a nod to her Cuban heritage, especially considering she was nominated twice for her song “Havana.” The blue and white of her Oscar de la Renta dress, along with the red of her lipstick, create the colors of the Cuban flag.
18.
At the Met Gala 2022, Vanessa Hudgens wowed in a fascinating black dress. She wrote on Instagram: “I was (still am) obsessed with this dress for so many reasons. A. It was designed by a friend @jeremyscott who knows the real me. B. The silhouette is actually historically accurate for the Gilded Age.” Theme C. I was allowed to be the glamorous witch that I am and D. The puff sleeve is a tribute to my Filipino heritage.”
19.
And finally, Dinah Jane attended the API Excellence Celebration 2022 in traditional Tongan clothing designed by Afa Ah Loo. She wrote on Instagram: “This is a custom made top made from Tongan Ngatu. Traditionally, this material is made from the bark of the hiapo or mulberry tree. Our ancestors passed on this method and it is mainly women who make the ngatu by hand. It is a very valued material.” It remains the treasure (koloa) of our ancestors to this day. It is awarded at prestigious events that celebrate life’s milestones and the essence of our people.”
Are there any other celebrities who have worn looks inspired by their heritage on the red carpet? LMK in the comments below!
Comments are closed.