In January 2026, Ruth E. Carter reached a milestone that has reshaped Oscar history. With her fifth Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design for the film Sinners, Carter became the most-nominated Black woman in the history of the Academy Awards, reaffirming her place as one of the most influential visual storytellers in contemporary cinema.

Carter, born on April 10, 1960, in Springfield, Massachusetts, has spent more than three decades defining how Black stories are seen on screen. Through costume design, she has translated culture, history, and identity into visual language, working across genres while maintaining a consistent commitment to authenticity.

Raised in a single-parent household as the youngest of eight children, Carter’s creative path began early. At the local Boys & Girls Club, she learned to sew using her mother’s sewing machine and developed skills in reading and designing patterns. These formative experiences laid the groundwork for a career built on research, craftsmanship, and cultural awareness.

After graduating from Technical High School in Springfield, Carter earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts from Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in 1982. She began her professional journey in theater, working in costume departments before relocating to Los Angeles in 1986. There, a chance meeting with director Spike Lee proved decisive.

Lee hired Carter to design costumes for School Daze (1988), launching a collaboration that would shape the visual identity of Black American cinema. She went on to work on several of Lee’s most influential films, including Do the Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever, and Malcolm X. Her work on Malcolm X earned her her first Academy Award nomination in 1992, marking a historic moment in a category that had long excluded Black designers.

Carter’s reputation for cultural precision and storytelling through costume led to collaborations beyond Lee’s films. She designed costumes for Steven Spielberg’s Amistad (1997), earning another Oscar nomination, and worked extensively with director John Singleton on projects such as Rosewood and Baby Boy. Her filmography continued to expand with titles including Love & Basketball, The Butler, Selma, Marshall, Roots, and Dolemite Is My Name.

A defining chapter in Carter’s career came with Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther (2018). Drawing on Afrofuturism and extensive research into African cultures, including the Maasai, Ndebele, and Basotho, Carter created costumes that reimagined Africa free from colonial narratives. The film’s visual impact extended far beyond cinema, influencing fashion, popular culture, and global conversations about representation.

At the 91st Academy Awards, Carter became the first Black woman to win the Oscar for Best Costume Design. She made history again in 2023 by winning a second Oscar for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, becoming the first Black woman to receive multiple Academy Awards in any category. She dedicated the award to her mother, Mabel Carter, acknowledging the generational support behind her success.

Carter’s fifth nomination in 2026 for Sinners further cemented her historic standing. Her Oscar career now spans over thirty years, with nominations for Malcolm X, Amistad, Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Sinners. The achievement places her among the most recognized Black creatives in Academy history.

Beyond awards, Carter has consistently emphasized the responsibility of telling Black stories with honesty and care. In interviews, she has spoken about the risk of cultural erasure and the importance of preserving history through visual storytelling. Her costumes serve not only as design elements but as records of identity, resistance, and imagination.

Her contributions have been widely recognized. Carter received the Costume Designers Guild Career Achievement Award, earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2021, and has been the subject of museum exhibitions showcasing her work. Yet she remains focused on mentorship, encouraging young creatives—particularly those from underrepresented communities—to recognize their own resources and possibilities.

As her career continues to evolve, Ruth E. Carter stands as a landmark figure in film history. Her work has changed not only what audiences see on screen, but who is acknowledged for shaping those visions. As a Black woman who made history, her legacy is firmly woven into the fabric of global cinema.