Angela Bassett’s powerful performance in her recurring role as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever lost to Jamie Lee Curtis’ work in Everything Everywhere All at Once at The 95th Academy Awards Sunday (March 12). It has left many movie-goers enraged that Bassett “was robbed” of the Best Supporting Actress award and the debate continues sweeping social media. There was some good news on Oscar night, though.
Costume designer Ruth Carter became the first Black woman to win multiple Oscars. She won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design in 2018 for Black Panther [she was the first African American to win that category] and has won the same award for Wakanda Forever in 2023.
Brea Holmes, a costume designer and native St. Louisan is part of the winning team that stitched life into the clothing of Wakanda Forever.
The St. Louis American spoke with Holmes on Monday [March 13], hours after her team’s triumph.
“Thank you so much, it’s a long time coming,” she said. “It was a great project, and I definitely got to work with the best in the industry.”
Holmes earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design with an emphasis in Costume Design from Woodbury University in 2016. At Woodbury, she was mentored by the late May Routh who worked with the late rock star David Bowie and other entertainers.
After graduation, Holmes immediately got to work and gained experience with companies including Tidal, Universal Music Mexico, and Amazon Prime. She says her “big break” came during the pandemic when she and other members of I.A.T.S.E. (entertainment union) had more spare time.
Holmes introduced herself to Carter, Stacy Caballero and other costume designers from I.A.T.S.E. Local 892 & Local 768 unions and discussed future opportunities.
Her emails paid off a few months later. Caballero told Holmes that she works with Carter a lot and that they were working on Wakanda Forever. Following an interview, Holmes landed a position with the movie’s costume crew.
In addition to the Black Panther franchise films, Carter’s resume includes credits for Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, Steven Spielberg’s Amistad, Lee Daniels’ The Butler, and Ava DuVernay’s Selma.
Holmes said Carter taught her the importance of research and color theory.
“The fact she researches from books, movies, TV shows and other mediums to find everything to influence her design and her work, that’s something I definitely take [in] because research is a big part of what we do,” Holmes said.
“The way I design now is definitely not the same way I designed before. I worked with her in terms of how I mix patterns and how I mix colors. Now I can use what I learned from her in my own projects.”
Carter also shared that knowledge should be shared with young people.
When I first started there wasn’t anybody that was like, ‘Hey, I’m a costume designer, This is what we do,’” Holmes said.
The Academy Award recognition is important, according to Holmes, because representation is important and “why we need more Black women costume designers.”
“Seeing women who look like you, who explored different avenues, is important because it says ‘Hey, can you do this too. This is an option for you,” Holmes said.
Holmes was born and raised in St. Louis. She grew up in Florissant and spent some time in Saint Charles. She began dance classes at three years old and performed with studios including the Best Dance and Talent Center.
Dance sparked an interest in costume design. She wondered about her dance outfits and “what’s the reasoning behind it?”
“[This] is what we do for costume design,” she said. “We build a character and there’s reasoning behind every piece that we put on somebody.”
Her love of costumes in Broadway and Hollywood classic musicals including The King and I, The Sound of Music, and The Wiz further fueled her interest in design.
Holmes attended Francis Howell North for her first three years of high school then she and her family relocated to Phoenix because her mother got a new job there. She continued dance and costume design in Phoenix before settling in Los Angeles.
Holmes acknowledges her success is rooted in St, Louis and offers advice to those who would like a career in fashion design.
“Keep being persistent, keep striving for what you love and what you wanna do. Hard work pays off,” she said.
