It was a joy to work with the best: JJ Valaya on teaming up with Ruth Carter for ‘Wakanda Forever’

Panaji, Nov 23 (PTI): His expertise in designing regal ensembles at home led him to embark on another creative adventure with Ruth Carter, says ace Indian couturier JJ Valaya, who collaborated with the celebrated American costume designer for Marvel Studio”s latest release “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”.
One of the most celebrated couturiers in the country, Valaya and his brand were first discovered by the famed Hollywood costumer designer while working on the Eddie Murphy-starrer movie “Coming 2 America” which released in 2021.
Oscar winner Carter soon came back to him with a new collaboration in the form of the “Black Panther” sequel in which he has created costumes for Angela Bassett”s Queen Ramonda.
For the Delhi-based fashion designer, working with an accomplished creative personality like Carter was a “privilege”.”I know that whenever she thinks of royalty in a movie, she thinks of us. We were thrilled to work with her because she had won the Academy Award for best costume in “Black Panther”.
It”s always a privilege working with accomplished creative individuals from anywhere in the world”,” Valaya told PTI in an interview.”
She came to us with “Wakanda Forever” and said she”d love to work with us again. True to what we are known for, she said she would like us to work on clothes for Queen Ramonda,” he added.
The Marvel Studios project, known for its sci-fi take on the fictional African nation of Wakanda, is dominated by superhero suits but Queen Ramonda was an exception.
The ensembles for Bassett included floor-length gowns and headgear with detailed embroidery, crafted in shades ranging from a sombre white, beige to royal red and purple.” The film otherwise has costumes which are very sci-fi and it”s only Queen Ramonda who has sort of grandeur and glory,” noted the 55-year-old designer. What made the whole experience even more exclusive was the way the makers, including director Ryan Coogler, were paying a tribute to the late lead star Chadwick Boseman through the film, he said. “We were thrilled because this project was so special and especially after the main lead”s demise, everything had to be very special… It”s just a case of two people working wonderfully well together from the two corners of the world,” he added.